JUSTICE

Care Proceedings: Expert Evidence

Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he has made of the results of the review of family law cases following the Cannings judgment; and what steps he is taking to increase confidence in medical expert witnesses in child protection cases.

Beverley Hughes: I have been asked to reply.
	Following the statement made by the then Minister for Children my right hon. Friend the Member for Barking (Margaret Hodge) on 23 February 2004 (in response to the Court of Appeal's judgment in the appeal against the conviction of Angela Cannings) the then Department for Education and Skills issued Circular LAC (2004)5 to local authorities on 25 February 2004. This asked local authorities "to consider those cases that are affected by the Attorney General's review".
	The Association of Directors of Social Services subsequently undertook a survey of local authority cases. The results were placed in the Library on 17 June and 16 November 2004. The then Minister for Children made a statement to the House on 17 June summarising the results of the first stage of the survey, and on 16 November the second stage of the survey.
	The Legal Services Commission is working with the Department of Health to pilot key proposals from the Chief Medical Officer's 2006 report—"Bearing Good Witness: Proposals for reforming the delivery of medical expert evidence in family law cases". Once implemented, these important reforms will help ensure that the family courts in England have access to the best information when making decisions that will affect the lives of some of our most vulnerable children.

Driving Offences

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many driving bans were served concurrently with prison sentences in each region of England and Wales in  (a) each of the last 10 years and  (b) 2008 to date.

Maria Eagle: Although the court proceedings data held by my Department provide information on the sentencing of individuals for individual offences, including whether they are disqualified from driving as a result of those offences, it does not hold information on whether each person is already banned from driving when sentence is passed.

Family Courts

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what recent steps the Government has taken to improve public accountability of the family courts.

Bridget Prentice: The Ministry of Justice has consulted twice about improving the accountability and openness of family courts. Central to this openness has been recognition of the need for better provision of information about the work of the family courts. There are clear benefits to the public having access to a record of the decisions courts have made, which reflects the public interest in the due administration of justice.
	In July 2007 we announced our intention to pilot the provision of written judgments when a final order is made in certain family cases. The courts in the pilot areas will for the first time routinely produce for county court and High Court cases, a written record of the court's decision, i.e. a hard copy of a judgment. Family Proceedings Courts will continue to provide the written reasons, which they are already required to do. The judgments or written reasons will be: (1) issued to the parties, (2) retained on the court file for the child to access on reaching adulthood, should they choose to do so; and (3) made anonymous and published online for the public to view.
	Providing judgments to the parties is intended to help those who have been through proceedings to understand why decisions were reached. Publication of anonymised judgments online is intended to improve perceptions of the family courts within society.
	The Government are committed to improving the transparency and accountability of family courts, while protecting those most vulnerable in society. My Department intends to make further detailed announcement on the pilot soon.

Family Courts

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when his Department expects to publish its substantive response to its consultation on Confidence and confidentiality: openness in family courts - a new approach.

Bridget Prentice: I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 14 October 2008,  Official Report, column 1031W, to the hon. Member for South Derbyshire (Mr. Todd).

Judiciary: Females

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he has made of his Department's performance against its objectives in respect of the proportion of women in the judiciary.

Jack Straw: Some progress is being made in improving the number of women judges in England and Wales. As of 1 April 2008, 19.03 per cent. of the judiciary were female—an increase from 2001's figure of 14.1 per cent. At District Judge level and below, women account for 25.6 per cent. of the judiciary. In the senior judiciary, the recent appointment of five female High Court judges will bring the total number of female judges in the High Court and above to 20, the highest ever number, out of a total of 164 in the senior judiciary (High Court, Court of Appeal, Heads of Division and Law Lords).
	There remains a long way to go before we have a judiciary that reflects society in gender terms. In recognition of this fact, all measures that could help to improve diversity in the judiciary are currently being considered. This will ensure that we maintain the highest possible standards of those appointed.

Judiciary: Females

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the change in the percentage of eligible women barristers entering the judiciary has been since the date of his predecessor's 2004 consultation on increasing diversity in the judiciary.

Jack Straw: Prior to 2006-07, no formal statistics were compiled on the pool of people eligible for a given judicial appointment in England and Wales. Moreover, the eligibility criteria vary widely between different types of judicial post. For these reasons, statistics on the number of women barristers eligible for judicial appointment are not available.
	The following table presents statistics for the years 2004-05, 2005-06 and 2007-08 on:
	women appointed to the judiciary of England and Wales as a proportion of all appointees (fee-paid or salaried)
	women barristers appointed to the judiciary of England and Wales as a proportion of all barrister appointees (fee paid or salaried).
	Comparable statistics are not available for 2006-07, as this was a transitional year during which responsibility for judicial appointments was passed from the former Department for Constitutional Affairs to the Judicial Appointments Commission. Comparisons over time should be made with caution, as the set of judicial posts to which appointments are made will vary from year to year.
	
		
			   All appointments  Barrister appointments 
			   Total  Women  Women as percentage of total  Total  Women  Women as percentage of total 
			 2004-05 294 86 29 160 43 27 
			 2005-06 259 110 42 80 44 55 
			 2007-08 458 156 34 178 50 28 
			  Source:  Judicial Appointments annual reports, Judicial Appointments Commission. 
		
	
	During the period covered by this table, the overall proportion of women serving in the Judiciary of England and Wales increased from 15.8 per cent. (at 1 April 2004) to 19.0 per cent. (at 1 April 2008). These figures include both salaried and fee-paid judicial office holders in the courts, but do not include members of the Tribunals judiciary.

Members: Correspondence

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when his Department plans to answer the letter dated 31 July sent by the hon. Member for Billericay to the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Access to Justice on the subject of Britain's nuclear test veterans.

Bridget Prentice: I replied to the hon. Member's letter on 14 October 2008. I apologise for the delay.

Powers of Attorney

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what representations he has received on the waiting period for the processing of an application for a lasting power of attorney; and if he will make a statement.

Bridget Prentice: Since the implementation of the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) 2005 in October 2007 the Public Guardian is responsible for registration of Lasting Powers of Attorney. One of the key safeguards of the registration process is the requirement for a statutory six-week waiting period for objections against registration to be made.
	Representations were made to the Secretary of State for Justice by the President of Solicitors for the Elderly in June 2008, and by the President of the Law Society in July 2008, that the Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) was failing to issue the required notice to start the waiting period in a timely manner.
	The OPG is now issuing the notice required to start the waiting period within its published target of 10 working days. Where there are problems with an application for Lasting Power of Attorney, applicants are similarly notified within 10 working days.
	The OPG has received representations generally about Lasting Powers of Attorney and will be looking at whether the current registration processes are proportionate and effective during the review of the implementation of the MCA launched earlier this month.

Prisons

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the  (a) daily,  (b) weekly and  (c) monthly (i) percentage and (ii) total turnover of inmates was in each prison establishment (A) in each of the last 10 years and (B) in each month in each of the last three years.

David Hanson: Information on the turnover of prisoners in each prison establishment is not available. However, during 2006, the last year for which the information is available, there were 90,000 receptions under immediate custodial sentence into all prison establishments in England and Wales. In the same year, there were 78,500 discharges from sentences.
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Sentencing

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many custodial sentences of  (a) less than one month,  (b) between one and three months,  (c) between three and six months and  (d) between six and 12 months were handed down in each of the last 10 years, broken down by offence.

Maria Eagle: The requested information is contained in the following table.
	Statistics for 2007 will be published at the end of November.
	
		
			  Number of persons sentenced( 1)  for various offence groups by sentence length, all courts, England and Wales, 1997  to  2006 
			  Number of persons 
			Sentence length 
			   Offence description  Less than 1 month  1 month and up to and including 3 months  Over 3 months and up to and including 6 months  Over 6 months and up to and including 12 months 
			   
			  1997 Violence against the person 321 1,816 2,159 1,848 
			  Sexual offences 13 126 213 402 
			  Burglary 182 2,121 2,698 2,737 
			  Robbery 2 115 204 327 
			  Theft and handling stolen goods 2,341 8,168 4,594 2,235 
			  Fraud and forgery 193 1,078 841 708 
			  Criminal damage 102 359 106 85 
			  Drug offences 235 812 908 1,334 
			  Other indictable offences 919 2,097 1,613 1,319 
			  Indictable motoring offences 28 316 612 451 
			  Summary offences (excluding motoring) 1,142 4,474 2,046 3 
			  Summary motoring offences 955 7,136 6,223 — 
			   
			  1998 Violence against the person 379 2,150 2,439 2,001 
			  Sexual offences 13 108 274 383 
			  Burglary 177 2,114 2,790 2,840 
			  Robbery 1 124 249 364 
			  Theft and handling stolen goods 3,069 9,837 4,997 2,127 
			  Fraud and forgery 228 1,288 1,064 714 
			  Criminal damage 110 396 137 112 
			  Drug offences 313 1,112 1,070 1,448 
			  Other indictable offences 972 2,347 1,800 1,384 
			  Indictable motoring offences 26 308 594 414 
			  Summary offences (excluding motoring) 1,301 5,076 2,393 3 
			  Summary motoring offences 965 6,980 6,507 — 
			   
			  1999 Violence against the person 339 2,174 2,538 1,925 
			  Sexual offences 14 116 269 384 
			  Burglary 157 2,047 2,842 2,706 
			  Robbery 1 101 194 411 
			  Theft and handling stolen goods 3,726 11,657 5,544 1,995 
			  Fraud and forgery 258 1,229 1,156 685 
			  Criminal damage 129 421 157 116 
			  Drug offences 365 1,218 1,031 1,230 
			  Other Indictable offences 944 2,300 1,850 1,290 
			  Indictable motoring offences 28 302 629 481 
			  Summary offences (excluding motoring) 1,565 5,603 2,567 8 
			  Summary motoring offences 996 7,335 7,426 — 
			   
			  2000 Violence against the person 360 1,897 2,824 2,208 
			  Sexual offences 12 89 252 352 
			  Burglary 175 1,520 2,970 2,687 
			  Robbery 1 26 320 507 
			  Theft and handling stolen goods 3,890 12,385 6,315 1,971 
			  Fraud and forgery 244 1,176 1,096 570 
			  Criminal damage 116 346 187 124 
			  Drug offences 309 982 923 1,103 
			  Other indictable offences 1,028 2,219 1,999 1,545 
			  Indictable motoring offences 28 292 694 505 
			  Summary offences (excluding motoring) 1,393 4,976 2,923 3 
			  Summary motoring offences 919 7,151 8,011 — 
			   
			  2001 Violence against the person 333 1,612 2,708 2,349 
			  Sexual offences 16 105 239 349 
			  Burglary 142 1,345 2,825 2,286 
			  Robbery 1 11 384 596 
			  Theft and handling stolen goods 3,914 12,725 6,455 1,732 
			  Fraud and forgery 238 1,131 1,206 613 
			  Criminal damage 115 355 169 117 
			  Drug offences 307 861 823 1,101 
			  Other indictable offences 1,004 1,912 1,907 1,418 
			  Indictable motoring offences 13 287 778 580 
			  Summary offences (excluding motoring) 1,316 4,777 2,928 7 
			  Summary motoring offences 1,009 7,330 8,608 — 
			   
			  2002 Violence against the person 340 1,684 2,658 2,273 
			  Sexual offences 27 118 236 382 
			  Burglary 146 1,430 2,852 2,348 
			  Robbery 2 13 259 605 
			  Theft and handling stolen goods 4,332 13,735 6,590 1,844 
			  Fraud and forgery 253 1,074 1,221 593 
			  Criminal damage 128 351 144 124 
			  Drug offences 308 784 698 950 
			  Other indictable offences 1,233 1,799 1,890 1,570 
			  Indictable motoring offences 20 294 870 713 
			  Summary offences (excluding motoring) 1,382 5,043 3,105 5 
			  Summary motoring offences 936 7,076 8,896 — 
			   
			  2003 Violence against the person 359 1,557 2,548 2,194 
			  Sexual offences 35 114 233 360 
			  Burglary 156 1,432 2,694 1,922 
			  Robbery 3 12 237 536 
			  Theft and handling stolen goods 4,098 12,286 6,133 1,609 
			  Fraud and forgery 256 1,041 1,360 571 
			  Criminal damage 123 362 166 105 
			  Drug offences 321 687 597 896 
			  Other indictable offences 1,441 1,889 2,008 1,636 
			  Indictable motoring offences 33 234 966 762 
			  Summary offences (excluding motoring) 1,441 4,952 3,065 2 
			  Summary motoring offences 866 7,044 9,491 3 
			   
			  2004 Violence against the person 349 1,711 2,667 2,269 
			  Sexual offences 19 144 258 421 
			  Burglary 136 1,282 2,530 1,779 
			  Robbery 2 11 233 591 
			  Theft and handling stolen goods 3,805 10,526 5,500 1,619 
			  Fraud and forgery 239 975 1,490 719 
			  Criminal damage 137 355 167 113 
			  Drug offences 241 572 528 773 
			  Other indictable offences 2,510 2,150 2,135 1,844 
			  Indictable motoring offences 15 230 872 792 
			  Summary offences (excluding motoring) 1,629 5,669 3,902 2 
			  Summary motoring offences 783 6,176 8,210 — 
			   
			  2005 Violence against the person 388 1,666 2,850 2.474 
			  Sexual offences 24 85 205 349 
			  Burglary 156 1,101 2,242 1,531 
			  Robbery 5 18 282 484 
			  Theft and handling stolen goods 3,887 9,181 4,764 1,396 
			  Fraud and forgery 227 820 1,094 1,506 
			  Criminal damage 156 374 163 110 
			  Drug offences 265 560 648 714 
			  Other indictable offences 2,557 2,144 2,095 1,961 
			  Indictable motoring offences 19 173 766 735 
			  Summary offences (excluding motoring) 1,788 5,858 4,418 5 
			  Summary motoring offences 648 4,992 7,229 — 
			   
			  2006 Violence against the person 318 1,492 2,742 2,341 
			  Sexual offences 13 98 202 302 
			  Burglary 142 1,059 2,198 1,519 
			  Robbery 1 9 346 626 
			  Theft and handling stolen goods 3,996 8,452 4,641 1,296 
			  Fraud and forgery 192 599 931 1,753 
			  Criminal damage 176 383 182 108 
			  Drug offences 337 564 566 711 
			  Other indictable offences 2,387 2,020 1,904 1,620 
			  Indictable motoring offences 12 131 573 690 
			  Summary offences (excluding motoring) 1,998 5,931 4,626 6 
			  Summary motoring offences 550 3,852 5,511 1 
			 (1) These data are on the principal offence basis.  Note: These figures have been drawn from administrative data systems. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system.  Source: OMS Analytical Services

Special Educational Needs and Disability Tribunal

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will reassess his Department's proposals to merge the Special Educational Needs and Disability Tribunal with the Care Standards Tribunal and the Mental Health Review Tribunal in England; what assessment he has made of the likely effects of this merger on parents of children with special educational needs; and if he will make a statement.

Bridget Prentice: I am responding as Minister responsible for Tribunals. I do not consider that a reassessment is necessary. It is proposed that the Special Educational Needs and Disability Tribunal (SENDIST) will cease to exist as a stand-alone body and become part of the First-Tier Tribunal in accordance with the provisions of the Tribunals, Courts and Enforcement Act 2007 (the "Act"). The Government consider that the Act provides the most appropriate statutory framework for maintaining strong and independent tribunals and for improving the services they provide to users.
	Groups representing the interests of the parents of children with special educational needs have been consulted during the development of the proposals to transfer the SENDIST jurisdiction into the Health, Education and Social Care (HESC) Chamber of the First-Tier Tribunal. Rules of procedure for the Chamber have been drawn up with the foil involvement of SENDIST's judiciary and members.
	The tribunal is committed to the ethos that it has always had, namely of keeping the interests of the child at the forefront of its procedures and decision making.

Special Educational Needs and Disability Tribunal

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many and what proportion of cases going to the Special Educational Needs and Disability Tribunal concerned children with autism over each of the last five years; in what proportion of these cases the applicant was successful; and how many local authorities conceded the case before the case reached the hearing.

Bridget Prentice: The following table shows the outcomes of special educational needs (SEN) appeals for children where autism was recorded at registration as the main or only SEN. Decided cases are those where a tribunal hearing takes place and a decision is issued. The decided cases can then be broken down into those that have either been successful in whole or in part and those that were dismissed. In this table those that were dismissed include those that were struck out. Withdrawn cases are those where the appellant decides to discontinue their appeal before a hearing takes place or decision is issued. Conceded cases are those where the local authority meet the requirements of the appeal before a hearing takes place or a decision is issued.
	
		
			   Decided  Percentage  Upheld  Dismissed  Withdrawn  Percentage  Conceded  Percentage  Total 
			 2003-04 238 38 202 36 298 47 94 15 630 
			 2004-05 264 37 218 46 338 48 107 15 709 
			 2005-06 287 38 249 38 318 42 155 20 760 
			 2006-07 293 38 245 48 305 40 176 23 774 
			 2007-08 284 32 242 42 371 42 235 26 890

Special Educational Needs and Disability Tribunal

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many disability discrimination cases concerning children with autism spectrum disorders went to the Special Educational Needs and Disability Tribunal in each of the last five years; and in what proportion of these the applicant was successful.

Bridget Prentice: The Special Educational Needs and Disability Tribunal (SENDIST) does not record autism as a type of disability. As a result, no Disability Discrimination Act claims have been recorded. The following table shows the outcomes of all SEN appeals. Withdrawn cases are those where the appellant decides to discontinue their appeal before a hearing takes place or decision is issued. Conceded cases are those where the local authority meets the requirements of the appeal before a hearing takes place or a decision is issued.
	
		
			   Decided  Percentage  Upheld  Dismissed  Withdraw n  Percentage  Conceded  Percentage  Total 
			 2003-04 1,197 35 930 267 1,528 45 662 20 3,387 
			 2004-05 1,147 36 879 268 1,370 43 695 22 3,212 
			 2005-06 1,038 32 832 206 1,260 39 920 29 3,218 
			 2006-07 1,045 32 841 204 1,258 38 968 30 3,271 
			 2007-08 872 27 691 181 1,215 38 1,087 34 3,174

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Deer: New Forest

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the number of deer in the New Forest National Park; and whether it is the policy of the National Park Authority to impose restrictions on the deer population.

Huw Irranca-Davies: There is no overall estimate of the deer numbers in the New Forest National Park and the authority has no policy for the management of deer numbers in the park. However, the Forestry Commission is responsible for the management of 47 per cent. of the park area and carries out an annual visual census of deer on its land. These records date back to 1960 and the figures for 2008 are
	Fallow: 1,422;
	Roe: 437;
	Red: 117; and
	Sika: 93.
	These visual census figures will underestimate the total number of deer in the area and a corrected figure is used when the Forestry Commission sets its annual cull level in accordance with its deer management plan.

Departmental ICT

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what information technology projects initiated by his Department and its predecessors have been cancelled prior to completion in the last five years; and what the cost of each such project was to the public purse.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The following three major core DEFRA IT projects have been terminated prior to completion within the last five years. Details of projects conducted within core DEFRA only have been included where there have been write-off costs as a result of closing the project. Details of other smaller IT projects could not be provided without incurring disproportionate cost to the Department.
	 Catalyst Project
	Catalyst was designed to provide an Electronic Data and Records Management system for DEFRA. The total expenditure from inception to termination was £12.6 million. This included costs of a large pilot and of preparing for the wider programme, which was not rolled out.
	 Phoenix IT Project
	Phoenix was designed to handle licences for protected species covered by international conventions. The total expenditure from inception to termination was £3,998,807.
	 Customer Information Programme
	The Customer Information Programme was designed to enable DEFRA to hold improved customer information. The total expenditure was £9,691,000.

New Forest National Park Authority

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many people are employed by the New Forest National Park Authority; and how many of those are resident within the boundary of the National Park.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The New Forest National Park Authority employs some 65 (full-time equivalent) staff. DEFRA holds no information on how many live inside or outside the National Park boundary.

Tourism: New Forest

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will require the New Forest National Park Authority to extend the deadline for consultation on the draft Recreation Management Strategy.

Huw Irranca-Davies: This is a matter for the New Forest National Park Authority which I understand has announced an extension of the consultation period to Friday 14 November.

Tourism: New Forest

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate the New Forest National Park Authority has made of the number of people  (a) resident in and  (b) holidaying in Christchurch constituency who visit the New Forest annually; and what consultation has been carried out with Christchurch residents on the draft Recreation Management Strategy.

Huw Irranca-Davies: These are matters for the New Forest National Park Authority.
	However I understand its draft Recreation Management Strategy says 29 per cent. of day visitors come from Dorset (Tourism South East 2004-05 survey) and that, in addition, the survey suggests 9 per cent. of 'local day visitors from home' come from 'Highcliffe, Mudeford and Christchurch'.
	I also understand that the authority mailed documents to Burton and Hurn parish councils, Christchurch borough council and Dorset county council, and has since responded to numerous requests for documents from the Christchurch area.

WALES

Departmental Recruitment

Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much  (a) his Department and  (b) its executive agencies spent on (i) recruitment consultants and (ii) external recruitment advertising to recruit staff in each of the last five financial years; which recruitment consultants were employed for those purposes in each of those years; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Murphy: The Wales Office has not used recruitment consultants to recruit staff. During the last five years external recruitment only occurred in 2006-07 and cost £17,240.92.
	The Wales Office has no executive agencies.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Arts Council England: Manpower

Edward Vaizey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many people were employed by Arts Council England in  (a) 1997-98 and  (b) 2007-08 in (i) the Chief Executive's office, (ii) the Chairman's office, (iii) press and public affairs, (iv) finance and resources, (v) business assessment and planning, (vi) finance, (vii) information, (viii) office services, (ix) personnel, (x) combined arts, (xi) drama, (xii) dance, (xiii) film, video and broadcasting, (xiv) literature, (xv) music, (xvi) touring, (xvii) visual arts, (xviii) arts and disability and (xix) policy and research.

Barbara Follett: The information requested has been provided by Arts Council England (ACE) and is set out in the table. Job titles provided by ACE do not correspond exactly with those in the question, but where they differ, ACE has allocated staff with the most relevant job description to the definitions in the question.
	
		
			  Heads   1997-98  2007-08 
			 Core Advocacy and Communications - Communications 8 49 
			  Advocacy and Communications - Enquiries — 10 
			  Advocacy and Communications - Events — 1 
			  Advocacy and Communications - Marketing 2 3 
			  Advocacy and Communications - Media Relations 7.5 4.5 
			  Advocacy and Communications - Public Affairs 13 2.5 
			  Advocacy and Communications - Publishing — 2 
			  Arts - Combined Arts 24.5 11.5 
			  Arts - Crafts 12.5 4 
			  Arts - Dance 20.5 18 
			  Arts - Drama 24  
			  Arts - Film Video and Broadcasting 33 10 
			  Arts - Literature 22 24.5 
			  Arts - Music 24 15 
			  Arts - Performing Arts 31.5 45 
			  Arts - Touring 12.5 0.5 
			  Arts - Visual Arts 40.5 46.5 
			  CEO 34 6 
			  CEO — Chairman's Office 2 — 
			  CEO - Regional ED's Office — 19 
			  Policy and Research 7 7 
			  Resource development 49 119 
			  Resource Development - Arts and Diversity 2.5 42 
			  Resource development - Business assessment and Planning 8 8 
			  Resource Development - Education and Training 19 19 
			  Resource Development - Lottery 87.5 14 
			  Resources - Directorate 22 9 
			  Resources - Finance 36 56 
			  Resources - HR 11 15.5 
			  Resources - IT 17.5 18 
			  Resources - Legal Services  3 
			  Resources - Office Services 28.5 18.5 
			 Core Total  599.5 601 
			 Specific project 2012 Project — 3 
			  Arts Award — 1 
			  Arts Training South West 3 — 
			  Artsmark — 3 
			  Commissions North — 1 
			  Commissions North — 2 
			  Contemporary Music Network — 3 
			  Creative Industries — 4 
			  Creative Partnerships — 142 
			  Cultural leadership programme — 4 
			  Decibel — 9 
			  Own Art — 3 
			  Public Art South West 2 2 
			  Schools Arts Projects — 1 
			  Take it away — 1 
			  Young People at Risk — 2 
			  Young People's Theatre — 1 
			 Specific project Total  5 182 
			 Grand Total  604.5 783

Arts: Further Education

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether his Department has commissioned research on the extent to which further education institutions are equipping students with the skills needed to help them make a contribution to the creative economy.

Barbara Follett: My Department has not commissioned any direct research in to the extent to which further education institutions are equipping students with the skills they need to help them make a contribution to the creative economy.
	However, in order to meet commitment 4 of Creative Britain: New talents for the New Economy, my Department has commissioned research into the landscape of employer engagement in higher education subjects closely related to the creative industries. The findings of this research, due to report in summer 2009, will be used to demonstrate how to forge stronger links between higher education institutions, further education colleges, creative professionals, the creative and cultural industries and the wider community.

Departmental Accountancy

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what balances his Department held with  (a) other central Government Departments and  (b) local authorities at the end of each financial year since 1997.

Barbara Follett: The table sets out the Department's debtor and creditor balances with central Government Departments and local authorities since 2003. Financial Reporting Manual (FReM) did not require disclosure of these balances in earlier years and it would incur disproportionate cost to obtain them.
	
		
			  £000 
			   Debtor balances  Creditor balances 
			   Government Departments  Local authorities  Government Departments  Local authorities 
			 2007-08 4,562 314 36,092 344 
			 2006-07 3,769 139 38,141 143 
			 2005-06 11,026 512 24,183 1,814 
			 2004-05 2,846 535 38,505 2,153 
			 2003-04 4,307 23 55,633 6,119

Departmental Buildings

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many  (a) new builds and  (b) major refurbishments were completed by his Department for a cost in excess of £0.5 million in (i) 2005-06, (ii) 2006-07 and (iii) 2007-08 to which the Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method or equivalent was applied; how many such buildings were assessed as (A) pass, (B) good, (C) very good and (D) excellent; and if he will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Department carried out a refurbishment in excess of £0.5 million in 2006-07. A BREEAM assessment was applied. The provisional result is very good.

Departmental Manpower

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much his Department spent on staffing in each year since 1997 in  (a) cash and  (b) real terms.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Department's staffing costs in cash and real terms are shown in the table, using 2007-08 as the base year.
	
		
			  £000 
			  Financial year  Staff costs in cash terms  Staff costs in real terms 
			 2007-08 26,040 26,040 
			 2006-07 24,860 25,584 
			 2005-06 22,191 23,458 
			 2004-05 19,814 21,396 
			 2003-04 18,657 20,703 
			 2002-03 17,238 19,683 
			 2001-02 17,889 21,066 
			 2000-01 20,972 25,287 
			 1999-2000 20,227 24,736 
			 1998-99 18,632 23,246 
			 1997-98 10,726 13,721

Departmental Procurement

Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what proportion of invoices for goods and services procured from small and medium-sized businesses was paid within 30 days of receipt by  (a) his Department and  (b) the agencies for which his Department is responsible in 2007-08; and if he will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Department and its agency, The Royal Parks, do not routinely maintain statistics on performance of invoice payments analysed by size of businesses. This information can be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	However, the proportion of undisputed invoices for goods and services procured from all suppliers paid within 30 days of receipt by the Department in 2007-08 was 98.4 per cent.
	The Royal Parks' performance on similar basis was 96.3 per cent. for 2003-04, the latest year for which information is readily available. Invoice payment performance information relating to later years can be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Recruitment

Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much  (a) his Department and  (b) its executive agencies spent on (i) recruitment consultants and (ii) external recruitment advertising to recruit staff in each of the last five financial years; which recruitment consultants were employed for those purposes in each of those years; and if he will make a statement.

Andy Burnham: The Department and its agency, the Royal Parks, do not separately identify the cost of recruitment consultants from other recruitment costs such as advertising. The total amount spent on recruitment including external advertising and on recruitment consultants in each of the last five financial years is shown in the following table.
	
		
			   £ 
			 2003-04 88,670.89 
			 2004-05 34,931.46 
			 2005-06 131,133.02 
			 2006-07 276,315.13 
			 2007-08 148,474.98 
		
	
	The following recruitment consultants have been employed over the last five financial years:
	Capita (2005-06)
	Whitehead Mann (2005-06)
	Odgers (2006-07 and 2007-08)
	Taylor Bennett (2007-08).

Sports: Young People

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps the Government plans to take to encourage more young people to participate in Olympic sports.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Government are working with a range of partners to get more people more active and encourage participation among young people in a range of physical activities including Olympic Sports. Following the publication of Sport England's new strategy, Sport England is working with 46 sports to develop funding submissions for the period 2009-13, which will set out ways in which those sports can contribute to a world-class community sports system in the UK. The 46 sports include all the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Sports, and as part of the funding submissions sports will be asked to set out proposals for the talent development pathways.
	Those sports able to demonstrate an ability to deliver against the talent development outcome will be commissioned to do so. Sport England officers have been guiding sports through the commissioning process, offering them significant technical input into the production of their funding submissions. This is to ensure that all sports fully understand the process and articulate as clearly as possible the potential of their sport to deliver against Sport England's strategic outcomes.
	Sport England has also recently made awards totalling £4.5 million to support the Playground to Podium programme. This programme will provide a framework for people with a disability to benefit from high quality physical education in schools and high quality coaching and performance environments in the community. This will lead on to the Paralympic World Class Programmes for those athletes who have the ability and the desire.

OLYMPICS

Olympic Games 2012: Sponsorship

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Minister for the Olympics what discussions the London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games has had with the International Olympic Committee's worldwide partners on their involvement in the London 2012 Olympics.

Tessa Jowell: The London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) has a Client Services team in place which leads on the relationship with all domestic and worldwide partners for 2012. The team has regular contact with each partner on a range of issues, including how to activate their sponsorship in the run-up to the Games in 2012. Many partners also work directly with departments in LOCOG in those areas where their people, products and services will support the delivery of the Games.
	In addition, I have had introductory meetings with some of the domestic and worldwide partners.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Asylum

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) asylum claimants and  (b) their dependants of each nationality have been granted leave to remain in the UK through (i) the 1998 backlog exercise, (ii) the 2003 family indefinite leave to remain exercise, (iii) the legacy exercise and (iv) discretionary leave to remain since 1997.

Phil Woolas: The information is as follows:
	(i) The following tables show the number of principal asylum applicants who have been granted leave to remain in the UK through the pre-1996 asylum application backlog exercise (referred to in the question as the 1998 backlog exercise) by nationality during 1999 and 2000. The backlog clearance exercise ran for these two years only.
	Information on dependants granted leave to remain in the UK through the backlog exercise is not available by nationality and can be obtained only by examination of individual case records at disproportionate cost. Total figures for principal applicants including dependants granted exceptional leave under the backlog exercise were 15,195 and 14,045 in 1999 and 2000 respectively.
	(ii) For information on the 2003 family indefinite leave to remain exercise, I refer the hon. Member to the reply my right hon. Friend the Member for Birmingham, Hodge Hill (Mr. Byrne) gave on 16 January 2008,  Official Report, column 1298W.
	UKBA is no longer reporting on the performance of the Family ILR Exercise. The small number of remaining cases are being processed with other legacy cases, not as a separate workstream, and will be reported on as part of normal business.
	(iii) Information on the legacy exercise by nationality is not available and could be obtained only by examination of individual case records at disproportionate cost.
	(iv) Discretionary leave to remain has only been granted since April 2003. For information on the numbers granted discretionary leave to remain from April 2003 to 2006, I refer the hon. Member to the reply my right hon. Friend the Member for Birmingham, Hodge Hill (Mr. Byrne) gave on 16 January 2008,  Official Report, column 1298W. 2007 figures on the discretionary leave to remain can be found in tables 4.1 and 4.2 of the annual Statistical Bulletin Asylum Statistics United Kingdom 2007:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs08/hosb1108.pdf
	Further National Statistics on asylum are available from the Library of the House and the Home Office's Research, Development and Statistics website at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration-asylum-stats.html.
	
		
			Decisions 
			  Cases considered under normal procedures 
			   Applications received( 4)  Total decisions  Recognised as a refugee and granted asylum  Not recognised as a refugee but granted exceptional leave 
			  Nationality  Number  Number  Percentage( 5)  Number  Percentage( 5)  Number  Percentage( 5) 
			  
			  Europe
			 Albania 1,310 230 (100) 25 (12) * (0) 
			 Czech Republic 1,790 275 (100) * (0) — (0) 
			 FRY 11,465 7,750 (100) 6,290 (92) 85 (1) 
			 Poland 1,860 545 (100) * (0) — (0) 
			 Romania 1,985 440 (100) 5 (1) * (0) 
			 Russia 685 305 (100) * (2) 5 (6) 
			 Turkey 2,850 2,055 (100) 85 (22) 15 (3) 
			 Ukraine 775 110 (100) * (1) — (0) 
			 Other Former USSR 2,640 615 (100) 10 (2) 5 (1) 
			 Other Former Yugo. 2,715 305 (100) 50 (21) 5 (2) 
			 Other 200 595 (100) 15 (6) 5 (2) 
			 Total 28,280 13,230 (100) 6,480 (67) 120 (1) 
			  Americas
			 Colombia 1,000 395 (100) 5 (2) 5 (2) 
			 Ecuador 610 165 (100) — (0) — (0) 
			 Other 420 155 (100) * (3) 15 (18) 
			 Total 2,025 715 (100) 5 (2) 15 (4) 
			  Africa
			 Algeria 1,385 905 (100) 475 (71) 30 (5) 
			 Angola 545 405 (100) 20 (24) 40 (41) 
			 Dem. Rep. Congo 1,240 1,345 (100) 15 (15) 45 (40) 
			 Ethiopia 455 260 (100) 20 (31) 5 (12) 
			 Gambia 30 80 (100) * (6) — (0) 
			 Ghana 195 1,685 (100) — (0) 5 (3) 
			 Ivory Coast 190 265 (100) — (0) — (0) 
			 Kenya 485 790 (100) 15 (3) 5 (1) 
			 Nigeria 945 1,725 (100) — (0) 5 (1) 
			 Rwanda 820 295 (100) 20 (10) 60 (26) 
			 Sierra Leone 1,125 820 (100) 5 (2) 280 (69) 
			 Somalia 7,495 350 (100) 130 (42) 55 (18) 
			 Sudan 280 195 (100) 40 (43) 5 (3) 
			 Tanzania 80 170 (100) * (3) — (0) 
			 Uganda 420 255 (100) 5 (5) 15 (20) 
			 Zimbabwe 230 115 (100) — (0) — (0) 
			 Other 2,510 1,060 (100) 35 (5) 185 (27) 
			 Total 18,435 10,720 (100) 785 (18) 740 (17) 
			  Middle East
			 Iran 1,320 415 (100) 55 (37) 20 (13) 
			 Iraq 1,800 745 (100) 315 (43) 320 (43) 
			 Other 1,045 260 (100) 45 (27) 15 (9) 
			 Total 4,165 1,420 (100) 415 (39) 355 (34) 
			  Asia
			 Afghanistan 3,975 1,295 (100) 15 (1) 1,180 (92) 
			 Bangladesh 530 615 (100) * (0) 5 (2) 
			 China 2,625 470 (100) 5 (2) 5 (1) 
			 India 1,365 945 (100) * (0) 10 (1) 
			 Pakistan 2,615 1,250 (100) 25 (2) 15 (1) 
			 Sri Lanka 5,130 2,630 (100) 20 (1) 10 (0) 
			 Other 1,225 155 (100) * (3) 5 (4) 
			 Total 17,465 7,355 (100) 65 (1) 1,225 (21) 
			 
			 Nationality not known 785 285 (100) 65 (55) 15 (11) 
			 
			 Grand total 71,160 33,720 (100) 7,815 (37) 2,465 (12) 
		
	
	
		
			   Decisions 
			   Cases considered under normal procedures 
			   Refusals 
			   Total refused  Refused asylum and exceptional leave after full consideration  Refused on safe third country grounds  Refused on non-compliance grounds 
			  Nationality  Number  Percentage  Number  Percentage( 5)  Number  Percentage( 5)  Number  Percentage( 5) 
			  Europe 
			 Albania 175 (87) 80 (40) 80 (40) 15 (6) 
			 Czech Republic 275 (100) 230 (84) 10 (4) 30 (11) 
			 FRY 460 (7) 85 (1) 235 (3) 140 (2) 
			 Poland 520 (100) 475 (91) * (—) 40 (8) 
			 Romania 345 (99) 140 (41) 70 (20) 135 (39) 
			 Russia 55 (92) 35 (56) 15 (21) 10 (15) 
			 Turkey 290 (75) 135 (34) 145 (37) 10 (3) 
			 Ukraine 80 (99) 40 (48) 25 (33) 15 (17) 
			 Other Former USSR 465 (97) 380 (79) 40 (9) 45 (10) 
			 Other Former Yugo. 180 (78) 150 (64) 25 (12) 5 (2) 
			 Other 220 (92) 200 (84) 15 (5) 5 (3) 
			 Total 3,065 (32) 1,950 (20) 660 (7) 450 (5) 
			  Americas 
			 Colombia 155 (96) 135 (83) 15 (9) 5 (4) 
			 Ecuador 135 (100) 10 (7) 125 (93) — (—) 
			 Other 60 (80) 55 (72) 5 (4) 5 (4) 
			 Total 350 (94) 200 (53) 145 (38) 10 (2) 
			  Africa 
			 Algeria 160 (24) 75 (12) 60 (9) 25 (4) 
			 Angola 35 (35) * (1) 30 (31) 5 (3) 
			 Dem. Rep. Congo 50 (45) 15 (12) 30 (26) 5 (6) 
			 Ethiopia 35 (57) 5 (9) 25 (47) * (2) 
			 Gambia 15 (94) 15 (94) — (—) — (—) 
			 Ghana 130 (97) 115 (86) * (1) 15 (10) 
			 Ivory Coast 75 (100) 65 (89) 5 (5) 5 (5) 
			 Kenya 495 (96) 470 (91) 10 (2) 15 (3) 
			 Nigeria 780 (99) 655 (83) 20 (3) 105 (13) 
			 Rwanda 150 (65) 70 (31) 10 (4) 70 (29) 
			 Sierra Leone 120 (30) 40 (10) 15 (3) 65 (16) 
			 Somalia 120 (39) 5 (1) 75 (25) 40 (14) 
			 Sudan 50 (54) 30 (35) 15 (16) 5 (3) 
			 Tanzania 30 (97) 25 (80) 5 (13) * (3) 
			 Uganda 55 (75) 50 (68) * (1) 5 (5) 
			 Zimbabwe 105 (100) 105 (100) — (—) — (—) 
			 Other 465 (68) 320 (47) 55 (8) 90 (13) 
			 Total 2,875 (65) 2,075 (47) 360 (8) 445 (10) 
			  Middle East 
			 Iran 75 (50) 15 (10) 55 (36) 5 (4) 
			 Iraq 100 (14) 5 (1) 90 (12) 5 (1) 
			 Other 110 (64) 60 (35) 40 (25) 5 (4) 
			 Total 285 (27) 80 (8) 185 (18) 15 (2) 
			  Asia 
			 Afghanistan 90 (7) 20 (2) 60 (5) 5 (—) 
			 Bangladesh 375 (98) 315 (83) 50 (13) 10 (3) 
			 China 200 (97) 155 (75) 25 (13) 15 (8) 
			 India 750 (99) 655 (86) 60 (8) 35 (5) 
			 Pakistan 990 (96) 885 (86) 65 (6) 40 (4) 
			 Sri Lanka 1,945 (99) 1,700 (86) 205 (10) 40 (2) 
			 Other 70 (93) 35 (51) 20 (29) 10 (14) 
			 Total 4,415 (77) 3,775 (66) 480 (8) 160 (3) 
			  
			 Nationality not known 40 (34) 35 (29) — (—) 5 (5) 
			  
			 Grand total 11,025 (52) 8,110 (38) 1,830 (9) 1,085 (5) 
		
	
	
		
			   Decisions   
			   Backlog clearance exercise   
			   Granted asylum or exceptional leave under backlog criteria  Refused under backlog criteria   
			  Nationality  Number( 6, 7)  Percentage( 5)  Number( 6, 8)  Percentage( 5)  Applications withdrawn  Applications outstanding at end of year 
			  Europe   
			 Albania 30 (90) 5 (10) 5 n/a 
			 Czech Republic * (100) — (—) 15 n/a 
			 FRY 875 (96) 40 (4) n/a n/a 
			 Poland 20 (73) 5 (27) 40 n/a 
			 Romania 45 (50) 45 (50) 10 n/a 
			 Russia 190 (78) 50 (22) n/a n/a 
			 Turkey 1,520 (91) 150 (9) 40 n/a 
			 Ukraine 25 (86) 5 (14) n/a n/a 
			 Other Former USSR 120 (91) 10 (9) 75 n/a 
			 Other Former Yugo. 60 (79) 15 (21) 30 n/a 
			 Other 315 (88) 40 (12) 50 n/a 
			 Total 3,195 (90) 370 (10) 265 n/a 
			  Americas   
			 Colombia 215 (92) 20 (8) 5 n/a 
			 Ecuador 25 (93) * (7) 5 n/a 
			 Other 70 (84) 15 (16) 20 n/a 
			 Total 310 (90) 35 (10) 30 n/a 
			  Africa   
			 Algeria 205 (88) 30 (12) 40 n/a 
			 Angola 260 (83) 55 (17) 15 n/a 
			 Dem. Rep. Congo 1,155 (94) 75 (6) 40 n/a 
			 Ethiopia 190 (95) 10 (5) * n/a 
			 Gambia 40 (64) 20 (36) 5 n/a 
			 Ghana 1,415 (91) 135 (9) 20 n/a 
			 Ivory Coast 155 (83) 30 (17) 10 n/a 
			 Kenya 210 (78) 60 (22) 25 n/a 
			 Nigeria 765 (82) 175 (18) 45 n/a 
			 Rwanda 55 (85) 10 (15) 10 n/a 
			 Sierra Leone 400 (96) 15 (4) 10 n/a 
			 Somalia 35 (83) 5 (17) 10 n/a 
			 Sudan 100 (92) 10 (8) 5 n/a 
			 Tanzania 110 (79) 30 (21) 5 n/a 
			 Uganda 170 (95) 10 (5) 10 n/a 
			 Zimbabwe 10 (90) * (10) * n/a 
			 Other 325 (87) 50 (13) 10 n/a 
			 Total 5,605 (89) 720 (11) 260 n/a 
			  Middle East  n/a 
			 Iran 250 (94) 15 (6) 15 n/a 
			 Iraq 5 (86) * (14) 10 n/a 
			 Other 85 (91) 10 (9) 20 n/a 
			 Total 340 (93) 25 (7) 40 n/a 
			  Asia   
			 Afghanistan 10 (100) — (—) 5 n/a 
			 Bangladesh 220 (94) 15 (6) 20 n/a 
			 China 245 (93) 20 (7) 5 n/a 
			 India 170 (92) 15 (8) 35 n/a 
			 Pakistan 215 (97) 5 (3) 40 n/a 
			 Sri Lanka 620 (94) 35 (6) 20 n/a 
			 Other 80 (96) 5 (4) 10 n/a 
			 Total 1,555 (94) 95 (6) 130 n/a 
			 
			 Nationality not known 135 (81) 30 (19) 5 n/a 
			 
			 Grand total 11,140 (90) 1,275 (10) 730 119,700 
			 (1 )Provisional figures (other than percentages) rounded to the nearest 5, with * = 1 or 2. (2) Decision figures do not necessarily relate to applications received in 1999. (3) Information is of initial decisions, excluding the outcome of appeals or other subsequent decisions. (4) 1999 figures may exclude some cases lodged at Local Enforcement Offices. (5) Percentages for cases considered under normal procedures and those within the backlog clearance exercise are calculated separately. (6) Cases decided under measures aimed at reducing the pre 1996 asylum application backlog. (7) Includes cases where asylum or exceptional leave has been granted under the backlog criteria. (8) Includes some cases where the application has been refused on substantive grounds. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Applications received for asylum in the united kingdom, excluding dependants, and initial decsisions( 1, 2, )( 3)  by nationality 2000( 10) 
			Decisions 
			  Cases considered under normal procedures( 5) 
			   Applications received( 4)  Total decisions  Recognised as a refugee and granted asylum  Not recognised as a refugee but granted exceptional leave 
			  Nationality  Number  Number  Percentage( 6)  Number  Percentage( 6)  Number  Percentage( 6) 
			  Europe
			 Albania 1,490 1,940 (100) 25 (1) 35 (2) 
			 Czech Republic 1,200 1,800 (100) 10 (1) 10 (1) 
			 FRY 6,070 15,125 (100) 275 (2) 815 (5) 
			 Poland 1,015 1,820 (100) 20 (1) 20 (1) 
			 Romania 2,160 2,800 (100) 15 (1) 20 (1) 
			 Russia 1,000 1,195 (100) 25 (3) 45 (5) 
			 Turkey 3,990 3,695 (100) 180 (7) 135 (6) 
			 Ukraine 770 1,270 (100) 15 (1) 35 (3) 
			 Other Former USSR 2,505 3,795 (100) 65 (2) 75 (2) 
			 Other Former Yugo. 2,265 1,550 (100) 110 (8) 50 (3) 
			 Other 415 920 (100) 50 (7) 30 (4) 
			 Total 22,880 35,915 (100) 790 (2) 1,265 (4) 
			  Americas
			 Colombia 505 2,090 (100) 60 (3) 60 (3) 
			 Ecuador 445 800 (100) 25 (3) 20 (3) 
			 Other 465 705 (100) 35 (6) 50 (9) 
			 Total 1,420 3,595 (100) 120 (4) 125 (4) 
			  Africa
			 Algeria 1,635 1,935 (100) 65 (4) 45 (3) 
			 Angola 800 1,025 (100) 70 (10) 200 (29) 
			 Dem. Rep. Congo 1,030 2,005 (100) 145 (11) 180 (14) 
			 Ethiopia 415 895 (100) 40 (9) 80 (17) 
			 Gambia 50 75 (100) 5 (10) 10 (20) 
			 Ghana 285 420 (100) 40 (14) 35 (11) 
			 Ivory Coast 445 365 (100) 15 (4) 15 (4) 
			 Kenya 455 1,620 (100) 50 (6) 90 (10) 
			 Nigeria 835 1,215 (100) 20 (2) 90 (10) 
			 Rwanda 760 720 (100) 85 (12) 165 (24) 
			 Sierra Leone 1,330 1,560 (100) 95 (8) 575 (50) 
			 Somalia 5,020 11,325 (100) 5,310 (47) 3,575 (32) 
			 Sudan 415 895 (100) 110 (19) 70 (12) 
			 Tanzania 60 160 (100) 5 (5) 10 (13) 
			 Uganda 740 740 (100) 20 (4) 30 (6) 
			 Zimbabwe 1,010 595 (100) 20 (3) 10 (2) 
			 Other 2,635 3,055 (100) 245 (10) 385 (15) 
			 Total 17,920 28,610 (100) 6,340 (27) 5,560 (23) 
			  Middle East
			 Iran 5,610 3,690 (100) 390 (11) 255 (7) 
			 Iraq 7,475 5,530 (100) 845 (15) 2,455 (45) 
			 Other 1,330 1,470 (100) 115 (10) 100 (8) 
			 Total 14,415 10,690 (100) 1,350 (13) 2,810 (28) 
			  Asia
			 Afghanistan 5,555 2,590 (100) 375 (15) 695 (27) 
			 Bangladesh 795 1,250 (100) 20 (2) 35 (4) 
			 China 4,000 5,860 (100) 40 (1) 130 (2) 
			 India 2,120 2,435 (100) 40 (2) 45 (2) 
			 Pakistan 3,165 4,715 (100) 125 (3) 120 (3) 
			 Sri Lanka 6,395 9,050 (100) 900 (11) 285 (4) 
			 Other 1,205 1,330 (100) 50 (4) 65 (6) 
			 Total 23,230 27,230 (100) 1,545 (6) 1,375 (6) 
			 
			 Nationality not known 450 3,165 (100) 225 (8) 355 (12) 
			 
			 Grand total 80,315 109,205 (100) 10,375 (11) 11,495 (12) 
		
	
	
		
			   Decisions 
			   Cases considered under normal procedures( 5) 
			   Refusals 
			   Total refused  Refused asylum and exceptional leave after full consideration  Refused on safe third country grounds  Refused on non-compliance grounds 
			  Nationality  Number  Percentage( 6)  Number  Percentage( 6)  Number  Percentage( 6)  Number  Percentage( 6) 
			  Europe 
			 Albania 1,875 (97) 1,480 (76) 50 (3) 345 (18) 
			 Czech Republic 1,775 (99) 1,565 (87) 5 (—) 205 (12) 
			 FRY 13,830 (93) 10,860 (73) 95 (1) 2,880 (19) 
			 Poland 1,765 (98) 1,445 (80) * (—) 320 (18) 
			 Romania 2,695 (99) 1,590 (58) 70 (3) 1,030 (38) 
			 Russia 900 (92) 530 (54) 10 (1) 360 (37) 
			 Turkey 2,090 (87) 1,095 (46) 145 (6) 850 (35) 
			 Ukraine 1,045 (96) 760 (70) 20 (2) 265 (24) 
			 Other Former USSR 3,285 (96) 2,250 (66) 20 (1) 1,015 (30) 
			 Other Former Yugo. 1,280 (89) 1,110 (77) * (—) 170 (12) 
			 Other 605 (88) 450 (65) 10 (1) 150 (22) 
			 Total 31,145 (94) 23,125 (70) 430 (1) 7,590 (23) 
			  Americas 
			 Colombia 1,775 (94) 1,600 (84) 30 (2) 145 (8) 
			 Ecuador 650 (94) 490 (70) 45 (6) 120 (17) 
			 Other 470 (85) 330 (60) * (—) 135 (25) 
			 Total 2,900 (92) 2,420 (77) 75 (2) 405 (13) 
			  Africa 
			 Algeria 1,330 (93) 760 (53) 20 (1) 550 (38) 
			 Angola 425 (61) 205 (30) 10 (1) 210 (31) 
			 Dem. Rep. Congo 990 (75) 610 (46) 30 (2) 350 (27) 
			 Ethiopia 355 (75) 220 (47) 5 (1) 130 (27) 
			 Gambia 30 (71) 15 (39) — (—) 15 (32) 
			 Ghana 225 (75) 155 (52) — (—) 70 (23) 
			 Ivory Coast 265 (91) 90 (31) 25 (8) 150 (51) 
			 Kenya 785 (85) 535 (58) 10 (1) 240 (26) 
			 Nigeria 770 (87) 415 (47) 10 (1) 345 (39) 
			 Rwanda 440 (64) 150 (22) 5 (1) 285 (41) 
			 Sierra Leone 480 (42) 145 (13) 10 (1) 320 (28) 
			 Somalia 2,365 (21) 695 (6) 30 (—) 1,645 (15) 
			 Sudan 395 (68) 270 (47) 20 (3) 110 (19) 
			 Tanzania 60 (82) 40 (54) * (3) 20 (25) 
			 Uganda 480 (90) 250 (46) * (—) 230 (43) 
			 Zimbabwe 525 (94) 435 (79) — (—) 90 (16) 
			 Other 1,860 (75) 950 (38) 30 (1) 880 (35) 
			 Total 11,780 (50) 5,945 (25) 200 (1) 5,635 (24) 
			  Middle East 
			 Iran 2,815 (81) 1,595 (46) 35 (1) 1,185 (34) 
			 Iraq 2,220 (40) 825 (15) 70 (1) 1,320 (24) 
			 Other 945 (82) 595 (51) 30 (3) 320 (28) 
			 Total 5,975 (59) 3,020 (30) 135 (1) 2,825 (28) 
			  Asia 
			 Afghanistan 1,515 (59) 460 (18) 35 (1) 1,020 (39) 
			 Bangladesh 870 (94) 560 (60) 50 (5) 260 (28) 
			 China 5,480 (97) 3,665 (65) 45 (1) 1,770 (31) 
			 India 2,125 (96) 1,185 (53) 40 (2) 905 (41) 
			 Pakistan 3,720 (94) 2,445 (62) 40 (1) 1,235 (31) 
			 Sri Lanka 6,875 (85) 5,115 (63) 170 (2) 1,590 (20) 
			 Other 1,015 (90) 480 (43) 5 (—) 530 (47) 
			 Total 21,600 (88) 13,910 (57) 380 (2) 7,310 (30) 
			  
			 Nationality not known 2,280 (80) 1,730 (60) 20 (1) 530 (19) 
			  
			 Grand total 75,680 (78) 50,145 (51) 1,240 (1) 24,290 (25) 
		
	
	
		
			   Decisions   
			   Backlog clearance exercise   
			   Granted asylum or exceptional leave under backlog criteria  Refused under backlog criteria   
			  Nationality  Number( 7, 8)  Percentage( 6)  Number( 7, )( 9)  Percentage( 6)  Applications withdrawn  Applications outstanding at end of year 
			  Europe   
			 Albania 5 (80) * (20) 60 n/a 
			 Czech Republic * (100) — (—) 80 n/a 
			 FRY 165 (82) 35 (18) 240 n/a 
			 Poland 10 (50) 10 (50) 95 n/a 
			 Romania 45 (63) 30 (37) 65 n/a 
			 Russia 185 (84) 35 (16) 35 n/a 
			 Turkey 1,215 (94) 80 (6) 40 n/a 
			 Ukraine 155 (88) 20 (12) 55 n/a 
			 Other Former USSR 320 (86) 50 (14) 155 n/a 
			 Other Former Yugo. 80 (75) 30 (25) 25 n/a 
			 Other 210 (89) 25 (11) 35 n/a 
			 Total 2,395 (88) 320 (12) 885 n/a 
			  Americas   
			 Colombia 180 (95) 10 (5) 15 n/a 
			 Ecuador 100 (96) 5 (4) 10 n/a 
			 Other 135 (89) 15 (11) 45 n/a 
			 Total 420 (93) 30 (7) 70 n/a 
			  Africa   
			 Algeria 415 (83) 85 (17) 45 n/a 
			 Angola 240 (72) 90 (28) 10 n/a 
			 Dem. Rep. Congo 610 (89) 75 (11) 20 n/a 
			 Ethiopia 390 (93) 30 (7) 15 n/a 
			 Gambia 30 (88) 5 (12) 5 n/a 
			 Ghana 90 (72) 35 (28) 15 n/a 
			 Ivory Coast 70 (95) 5 (5) 5 n/a 
			 Kenya 625 (90) 70 (10) 30 n/a 
			 Nigeria 290 (86) 45 (14) 40 n/a 
			 Rwanda 30 (94) * (6) 5 n/a 
			 Sierra Leone 365 (90) 40 (10) 25 n/a 
			 Somalia 55 (78) 15 (22) 50 n/a 
			 Sudan 300 (94) 20 (6) 10 n/a 
			 Tanzania 80 (95) 5 (5) 5 n/a 
			 Uganda 195 (94) 10 (6) 15 n/a 
			 Zimbabwe 35 (88) 5 (12) 10 n/a 
			 Other 520 (92) 50 (8) 50 n/a 
			 Total 4,345 (88) 585 (12) 345 n/a 
			  Middle East   n/a 
			 Iran 210 (89) 25 (11) 40 n/a 
			 Iraq 10 (89) * (11) 20 n/a 
			 Other 295 (96) 10 (4) 40 n/a 
			 Total 515 (93) 40 (7) 100 n/a 
			  Asia   
			 Afghanistan 10 (100) — (—) 25 n/a 
			 Bangladesh 290 (90) 35 (10) 15 n/a 
			 China 165 (79) 45 (21) 30 n/a 
			 India 175 (78) 50 (22) 45 n/a 
			 Pakistan 685 (91) 65 (9) 95 n/a 
			 Sri Lanka 895 (90) 100 (10) 45 n/a 
			 Other 170 (84) 30 (16) 35 n/a 
			 Total 2,385 (88) 320 (12) 290 n/a 
			
			 Nationality not known 275 (89) 35 (11) 30 n/a 
			 
			 Grand total 10,325 (89) 1,335 (11) 1,720 89,100 
			 (1) Provisional figures (other than percentages) rounded to the nearest 5, with * = 1 or 2. (2) Decision figures do not necessarily relate to applications received in 2000. (3) Information is of initial decisions, excluding the outcome of appeals or other subsequent decisions. (4) May exclude some cases lodged at Local Enforcement Offices between January and March 2000. (5) Cases considered under normal procedures may include some cases decided under the backlog criteria. (6) Percentages for cases considered under normal procedures and those within the backlog clearance exercise are calculated separately. (7) Cases decided under measures aimed at reducing the pre 1996 asylum application backlog. (8) Includes cases where asylum or exceptional leave has been granted under the backlog criteria. (9) Includes some cases where the application has been refused on substantive grounds. (10) Provisional.

Departmental Recruitment

Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much  (a) her Department and  (b) its executive agencies spent on (i) recruitment consultants and (ii) external recruitment advertising to recruit staff in each of the last five financial years; which recruitment consultants were employed for those purposes in each of those years; and if she will make a statement.

Phil Woolas: The decision to employ recruitment consultants to assist with filling a particular vacancy is made by individual business units, and all associated costs are met from devolved unit budgets. The information requested is therefore not held centrally and could be provided only at a disproportionate cost.

Identity and Passport Service

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many blank passports were  (a) lost and  (b) stolen from the Identity and Passport Service in each of the last five years; and if she will make a statement.

Meg Hillier: No blank United Kingdom passports have been lost or stolen from the Identity and Passport Service in the last five years.

Identity and Passport Service

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many passports were lost by the Identity and Passport Service while being couriered to the passport holder in each of the last five years.

Meg Hillier: The figures in the table set out the number of passport or supporting document deliveries that have been recorded as lost. It is not possible to differentiate between losses of passports and losses of supporting documents. Supporting documents are returned by 2nd class post when the customer pays for secure delivery.
	
		
			Number 
			 2003 Passports only 3,593 
			 2004 February 2004 to January 2005 601 
			 2005 February 2005 to January 2006 1,018 
			 2006 February 2006 to January 2007 727 
			 2007 February 2007 to January 2008 716 
		
	
	The figures from 2004 are collated in line with the contractual arrangements with Secure Mail Services, the Secure Delivery provider, which commenced in February 2004. These arrangements replaced the use of First Class Mail. In the last year of the Royal Mail arrangements losses accounted for around 0.06 per cent of passports posted. Since the introduction of Secure Delivery, the rate is around 0.011 per cent. a reduction of over 80 per cent.
	Over six million items a year are delivered to IPS customers through the Secure Delivery service. IPS and SMS continue to work closely to improve upon losses while maintaining minimum inconvenience to customers. All passport losses are added to the database of lost or stolen passports.

Identity and Passport Service

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidelines have been issued to the Identity and Passport Service on the secure delivery of documentation to passport holders.

Meg Hillier: Passports are delivered by Secure Mail Services (SMS) courier. The Identity and Passport Service (IPS) has provided SMS with instructions as to whether a signature is required or not, dependent upon known losses for the postcode, and the premises being delivered to. This flexible approach means that the integrity of the delivery process, and the passport, is maintained while minimising the need for customers to be at home to receive their passport. Around 3 per cent. of courier deliveries require a signature on delivery.
	Disguised mail is used to deliver passports to customers living in remote areas where there is perceived to be very little risk to mail. Recorded Delivery is used and around 0.4 per cent. of passports are delivered in this way.
	Supporting documentation is returned by Second Class post unless customers elect to pay the £3 fee for Secure Delivery of their documents. Documents returned by Secure Delivery are treated identically to passport deliveries.
	All items carried by SMS are fully auditable throughout their journey from despatch to delivery, enabling full investigation of claims of non-receipt.

Identity and Passport Service

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much was paid in compensation to passport holders whose passports were lost by the Identity and Passport Service in each of the last five years.

Meg Hillier: We do not hold these data in the required format and they could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Identity and Passport Service: Personal Records

Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many instances of the loss of personal documents were recorded by the Identity and Passport Service in each of the last five years.

Meg Hillier: The following figures provide the number of cases where customers have approached the Identity and Passport Service (IPS) to request replacements for lost documents sent in to support passport applications, such as birth and marriage certificates. The losses occur within IPS premises, as a result of administrative errors, as well as during the postal process.
	
		
			   Number of documents lost by IPS 
			 2003 1,068 
			 2004 1,169 
			 2005 1,547 
			 2006 729 
			 2007 438 
			   
			 Total 4,951

Passports: Interviews

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people under the age of 18 years have been interviewed at passport interview centres since the system of interviews for passport applications was introduced.

Meg Hillier: For the period where interviews were introduced until the 8 October 2008, IPS conducted 35,580 interviews for applicants under the age of 18 years.

TRANSPORT

Bus Services: Complaints

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will take steps to allow bus passengers to make appeals regarding complaints to Passenger Focus in an analogous way to those which may be made by rail passengers.

Paul Clark: On 8 April 2008 the then Secretary of State for Transport announced that Passenger Focus (the statutory rail passenger watchdog) would widen its remit to become the bus passenger champion. The Local Transport Bill, currently going through Parliament, would provide the necessary primary powers to enable the Secretary of State, through secondary legislation, to place functions relating to bus and domestic coach services onto Passenger Focus.
	Arising from the successful passage of the Local Transport Bill, a decision on roles and responsibilities for Passenger Focus will be made in due course.

Bus Services: Concessions

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what proportion of people eligible for a free bus pass have applied for one in Leeds since the scheme was introduced.

Paul Clark: The Department is not responsible for issuing passes and so does not maintain records of how many applications individual authorities have received.
	Leeds is part of the West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive (WY Metro). The last information held by the Department was that as of 7 April this year WY Metro had submitted approximately 239,000 applications for the new smartcard concessionary passes to their pass supplier. This represents around 58 per cent. of the estimated eligible population in WYPTE, which is approximately 410,000.

Carbon Emissions

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many tonnes of  (a) carbon dioxide,  (b) other greenhouse gases and  (c) harmful particulates were emitted from (i) road and (ii) other transport in each of the last eight years.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The National Atmospheric Emissions Inventory (NAEI) compiles estimates of emissions to the atmosphere from UK sources. The most recent NAEI data published by DEFRA can be found at:
	http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/statistics/globatmos/download/xls/gatb04.xls.
	The following table contains the estimates of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from road transport and other transport for each year from 1999 to 2006 which is the latest year for which official figures have been published.
	
		
			  Carbon dioxide 
			  Million tonnes CO 2 
			   1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006 
			 Road transport 116.8 116.0 116.0 118.4 118.2 119.4 119.9 120.3 
			 Other transport(1) 7.2 7.2 6.9 6.5 8.2 8.4 9.2 10.5 
			 (1) Other transport includes domestic aviation, railways, domestic shipping, and other mobile sources and machinery. 
		
	
	The Kyoto agreement defines a set of six greenhouse gases (GHG's) which are: carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons and sulphur hexafluoride.
	The following tables contain estimates of methane and nitrous oxide from road transport and other transport for each year from 1999 to 2006 which is the latest year for which official figures have been published. Emissions from transport of hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons and sulphur hexafluoride are negligible.
	
		
			  Methane 
			  Thousand tonnes 
			   1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006 
			 Road transport 16.3 14.5 12.7 11.3 9.9 8.8 7.9 7.2 
			 Other transport(1) 0.3 0.4 0.4 0.3 0.3 0.4 0.4 0.4 
			 (1) Other transport includes domestic aviation, railways, domestic shipping, and other mobile sources and machinery. 
		
	
	
		
			  Nitrous oxide 
			  Thousand tonnes 
			   1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006 
			 Road transport 12.1 13.1 14.1 15.0 15.6 16.2 16.4 16.7 
			 Other transport(1) 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.1 1.1 1.2 1.2 
			 (1) Other transport includes domestic aviation, railways, domestic shipping, and other mobile sources and machinery. 
		
	
	In addition to the above, the National Atmospheric Emissions Inventory (NAEI) publishes estimates of emissions of harmful particulates to the atmosphere from UK sources. The most recent NAEI data published by DEFRA can be found at:
	http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/statistics/airqual/download/xls/aqtb11.xls.
	The following table contains estimates of harmful particulate (PM10) emissions from road transport and other transport for each year from 1999 to 2006 which is the latest year for which official figures have been published.
	
		
			  PM10 emissions 
			  Thousand tonnes 
			   1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006 
			 Road transport 43.3 38.6 37.7 36.9 36.2 35.4 33.7 32.3 
			 Other transport(1) 5.4 5.1 4.5 3.9 5.6 6.4 7.4 9.6 
			 (1) Other transport includes domestic aviation, railways, domestic shipping, and other mobile sources and machinery.

Cars: Carbon Emissions

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment has been made of the relative merits of using a weight-based system or a footprint-based system to assess a car's carbon dioxide emissions.

Jim Fitzpatrick: We have looked at the weight versus footprint issue from various perspectives: total costs and how they would be distributed among different types of vehicles; how well the criterion relates to desirable features in a vehicle ('utility'); to what extent the criterion may encourage perverse incentives; and availability of data.
	There is an analysis on pages 59-62 of the Impact Assessment accompanying our consultation on the draft European regulation on new car CO2 emissions, available at:
	http://www.dft.Gov.uk/consultations/closed/co2emissions/impactassesment.pdf
	In the light of examination of this question by officials in my Department, we support a weight-based utility parameter, but with provision for data collection and review of the regulation so that a footprint-based system could be considered for the future.

Christmas

Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many Christmas functions  (a) he,  (b) officials from his Department and  (c) officials from its executive agencies (i) hosted and (ii) attended in 2007-08; what the cost to the public purse was; and if he will make a statement.

Geoff Hoon: The information requested is not held centrally, therefore could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. However, the Department for Transport's expenditure on and acceptance of any hospitality is conducted in accordance with the principles of Government Accounting and the Treasury handbook on regularity and propriety.

Crossrail: Consultants

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much has been spent on consultation fees for the Crossrail project.

Paul Clark: The amount spent by the Department for Transport on financial, legal and technical consultancy fees in support of Crossrail is shown in the following table.
	
		
			   Amount (£) 
			 2003-04 1,144,920 
			 2004-05 1,780,816 
			 2005-06 2,621,620 
			 2006-07 3,962,625 
			 2007-08 4,416,936 
			 2008-09 (to end September) 2,798,708 
			 Total 16,725,625 
		
	
	The figures include consultancy costs incurred by the Department both in support of the Bill process and on the development of the funding and governance arrangements for the Crossrail project.

Departmental Consultations

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the total expenditure on consultants by his Department was in each year since its creation.

Geoff Hoon: I refer the hon. Member to the answer of 29 September 2008,  Official Report, column 2425W.

Departmental Pay

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many non-pensionable bonuses were awarded to members of staff in his Department in the last 12 months; and at what total cost.

Geoff Hoon: The Department for Transport comprises a central department plus seven executive agencies each with its own pay and reward system. Information regarding bonus payments has been collected from the central department and five agencies and collated in to one set of figures for the 2007-08 financial year:
	
		
			   Number of staff receiving bonus  Total amount of bonuses paid (£) 
			 2007-08 6,510 3,844,107 
		
	
	The figures exclude data for DVLA and VOSA. The information requested can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	The Department is committed to rewarding good performance. Bonuses are paid in respect of overall performance or exceptional performance on a specific task or at a specific time. They encourage high attainment because they have to be earned each year, motivating staff and supporting better public service delivery.

Departmental Procurement

Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what proportion of invoices for goods and services procured from small- and medium-sized businesses were paid within 30 days of receipt by  (a) his Department and  (b) the agencies for which his Department is responsible in 2007-08; and if he will make a statement.

Geoff Hoon: The payment performance in respect of invoices for goods and services procured from small and medium sized businesses is not separated from the Department's overall payment performance and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	In 2007-08 the central Department paid 95.8 per cent. of all valid invoices within 30 days of receipt and agencies for which the Department is responsible for paid 92.4 per cent.

Departmental Reviews

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what progress he has made on his plans to revise the New Approach to Appraisal; and within what  (a) parameters and  (b) timescale the review is operating.

Geoff Hoon: In July 2008, we published a document that summarised responses received to the NATA Refresh consultation, and set out our plans for developing the New Approach to Appraisal (NATA) framework. The document announced a number of changes to better capture the impacts of greenhouse gas emissions, travel time variability, the health benefits of active transport, and initiatives to better represent cycling and walking in transport modelling.
	We are also working on further changes that will:
	reflect continuing developments in analysing climate change;
	improve the presentation of evidence in the appraisal summary table;
	better capture transport's contribution to economic growth;
	ensure appropriate weight is given to assessments of transport's impact on the natural environment;
	capture the costs and benefits associated with new housing;
	develop our approach to appraising social and distributional impacts of transport schemes; and
	improve the dissemination of appraisal guidance.
	Work is also in hand to consider the treatment of indirect taxation when prioritising transport schemes, and separately to consider whether it would be appropriate to adopt a lighter-touch appraisal approach for smaller schemes.
	The scope of the NATA Refresh is limited to the New Approach to Appraisal. Improvements resulting from the NATA Refresh have already been made and we have plans for the next 12 months about how improvements will become part of the definitive set of guidance no later than April 2010. These are presented in the final pages of the summary of responses to the NATA consultation at:
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/consultations/closed/consulnatarefresh/responses/

DVLA: Data Protection

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many individuals have their details protected by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency such that requests for release of information in relation to such individuals which would otherwise be granted are not granted; and what criteria the Agency applies in determining to whom this practice should apply.

Jim Fitzpatrick: All vehicles held on DVLA's vehicle register are subject to the same provisions with regards to disclosure to third parties. No vehicles are protected from disclosure where the requester can demonstrate a lawful right to receive that data.

Euston Station: Access

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will ask  (a) the Health and Safety Executive and  (b) the Equality and Human Rights Commission to inspect Euston station to ensure it complies with the relevant legislation in respect of access for the (i) disabled and (ii) parents with pushchairs from (A) car parks, (B) taxi ranks and (C) London Underground to the station and train platforms.

Paul Clark: I am aware that the Association of Train Operating Companies is currently carrying out a programme of access audits of all stations on the network, the results of which will be made available in due course.
	Inspection and enforcement of safety legislation on the operational railway is the on-going responsibility of HM Railway Inspectorate, which is overseen by the Office of the Rail Regulator, as set out in the Railways Act 2005. HMRI determine when visits to assess compliance are necessary.
	Any works at stations must also comply with the standards in the DfT publication: "Accessible Train and Station Design for Disabled People: A Code of Practice". Assessing compliance with these standards for new or existing station infrastructure is not a role of the Equality and Human Rights Commission.

Euston Station: Access

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when Euston station was last inspected to ensure it meets disability discrimination legislation in respect of access from  (a) car parks and  (b) taxi ranks to (i) the station concourse and (ii) train platforms; and if he will make a statement about the adequacy of the station's compliance with such legislation.

Paul Clark: All train and station operators self-certify to ensure that they meet the provisions of disability-related legislation and appropriate infrastructure requirements for accessibility. They must additionally produce a Disabled People's Protection Policy, agreed by the Secretary of State, which sets out the level of service and facilities at all stations that they operate, and which is updated regularly.
	Network Rail's Disabled People's Protection Policy was last updated in June 2008 and is reviewed regularly. The current Disabled People's Protection Policy sets out arrangements for assisting passengers with reduced mobility to access the station from the car park and taxi rank.
	Inside the station building, level access is possible to all platforms, and staff assistance is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Modern facilities include an accessible toilet, induction loops and mobility vehicles which are available on request. As such, people with reduced mobility should be able to obtain any assistance that they require in order to use the station.

Euston Station: Access

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will take steps to ensure that access to all parts of Euston station is improved for  (a) the elderly and disabled,  (b) parents with pushchairs and  (c) travellers with large amounts of luggage.

Paul Clark: This is an operational matter for Network Rail who own and operate the station. Station operators are required by part 3 of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 to make reasonable physical adjustments so that disabled people can access their services.
	Network Rail are responding to this duty and are currently developing plans to install a lift link between the station concourse, taxi rank, car park and Underground ticket hall to improve access for passengers with reduced mobility. This facility is planned for completion in October 2009. In addition, Network Rail have confirmed that a comprehensive programme of refurbishments is being considered for 2015-16.

Lorries: Accidents

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  how many road collisions involved side impact crashes into heavy goods vehicles in each region of England and Wales in  (a) each of the last 10 years and  (b) 2008;
	(2)  how many people were  (a) killed,  (b) seriously injured and  (c) injured in road collisions involving side impact crashes into heavy goods vehicles in each region of England and Wales in (i) each of the last 10 years and (ii) 2008 to date.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The numbers of reported personal injury road accidents involving at least one heavy goods vehicle where the first point of impact was the side, and the number of people  (a) killed,  (b) seriously injured and  (c) slightly injured resulting from these accidents, in each Government office region in 1998 to 2007 are given in the tables.
	
		
			  Number of accidents 
			  Government office region  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007 
			 North East 94 139 92 96 106 112 89 120 106 101 
			 North West 583 665 573 543 558 528 492 465 455 391 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 353 376 335 341 329 302 322 307 286 278 
			 East Midlands 421 425 490 431 422 402 449 399 323 319 
			 West Midlands 464 485 492 498 428 420 426 469 407 408 
			 East of England 512 481 550 545 543 546 510 497 438 447 
			 South East 584 699 708 713 709 702 745 638 643 622 
			 London 466 464 458 497 407 361 345 396 422 314 
			 South West 262 285 297 299 259 280 222 262 232 246 
			 England 3,739 4,019 3,995 3,963 3,761 3,653 3,600 3,553 3,312 3,126 
			 Wales 152 163 149 150 183 163 140 141 144 116 
			 Total England and Wales 3,891 4,182 4,144 4,113 3,944 3,816 3,740 3,694 3,456 3,242 
		
	
	
		
			  Number of casualties 
			  Government office region  Severity  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007 
			 North East Killed 3 2 2 3 3 1 2 4 0 2 
			  Serious 19 19 9 15 18 11 14 16 18 14 
			  Slight 96 185 117 123 127 143 98 158 123 123 
			 
			 North West Killed 13 17 18 14 12 14 12 15 7 14 
			  Serious 83 100 82 80 82 74 60 74 64 53 
			  Slight 710 825 656 657 668 633 586 527 547 467 
			 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber Killed 11 7 11 10 10 7 6 13 5 8 
			  Serious 65 78 58 51 70 67 63 34 41 47 
			  Slight 404 399 380 399 397 343 389 355 335 311 
			 
			 East Midlands Killed 15 25 14 12 12 18 9 12 20 12 
			  Serious 88 73 90 78 82 69 60 68 41 35 
			  Slight 439 489 608 471 446 452 513 463 359 353 
			 
			 West Midlands Killed 12 11 3 18 16 10 9 6 12 6 
			  Serious 95 86 87 73 57 58 39 65 45 38 
			  Slight 488 544 527 561 479 472 508 550 480 479 
			 
			 East of England Killed 15 11 17 10 9 16 10 11 10 22 
			  Serious 115 95 122 89 89 81 74 71 67 79 
			  Slight 549 517 633 611 602 611 599 566 501 480 
			 
			 South East Killed 13 15 18 21 14 17 11 13 21 11 
			  Serious 107 141 101 122 119 87 106 70 69 87 
			  Slight 643 761 816 774 755 810 846 750 730 720 
			 
			 London Killed 19 22 15 13 15 14 6 3 14 11 
			  Serious 99 75 80 94 74 74 61 48 81 66 
			  Slight 418 433 442 474 378 343 334 413 388 275 
			 
			 South West Killed 9 9 11 10 16 10 9 12 6 9 
			  Serious 41 54 66 50 46 39 33 36 31 34 
			  Slight 297 317 313 335 282 316 249 272 252 286 
			 
			 England Killed 110 119 109 111 107 107 74 89 95 95 
			  Serious 712 721 695 652 637 560 510 482 457 453 
			  Slight 4,044 4,470 4,492 4,405 4,134 4,123 4,122 4,054 3,715 3,494 
			 
			 Wales Killed 7 5 8 5 6 3 4 3 3 1 
			  Serious 32 30 23 35 38 22 13 20 11 14 
			  Slight 180 173 166 164 214 183 169 155 179 138 
			 
			 England and Wales Killed 117 124 117 116 113 110 78 92 98 96 
			  Serious 744 751 718 687 675 582 523 502 468 467 
			  Slight 4,224 4,643 4,658 4,569 4,348 4,306 4,291 4,209 3,894 3,632 
		
	
	2008 data will be published in June 2009.

Lorries: Safety Measures

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he is taking to encourage compliance with the requirement for goods vehicles over 3.5 tonnes in relation to rear view mirrors.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department has been working closely with vehicle manufacturers and representatives of the road haulage industry to promote awareness of the new requirements for improved mirrors to be retro-fitted to goods vehicles above 3.5 tonnes that come into force from 31 March 2009.
	Compliance will be confirmed through the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA) annual test and their targeted roadside checks, carried out in conjunction with the police, from 1 April 2009.

Motor Vehicles: Licensing

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many vehicles are licensed; and what the total licence revenue was for each emission rating band in the private and light goods vehicle licensing category in the year for which figures are available.

Jim Fitzpatrick: A snapshot of the Vehicles database as at June 2008 showed the total number of licensed vehicles was 34.4 million, and the total value of licences in force for Private and Light Goods Vehicles were:
	
		
			  Band  Total (£ million) 
			 Up to 1549 cc 510 
			 Over 1549 cc 1,568 
			 A — 
			 B 20 
			 C 604 
			 D 566 
			 E 490 
			 F 817 
			 G 128 
			 Euro 4 LGV 13 
			 LGV 333 
			 Total 5,051 
		
	
	Please note that the aforementioned figures reflect the value of licences in force as at June 2008 and not the total VED collected for a specific financial period. These figures are calculated from direct vehicle register scans and are reported to DfT for statistical purposes, while the financial reporting of VED collected net of subsequent refunds collected for each financial year is not analysed in this way. The differences are relatively small, but reflect the six month and 12 month licensing regimes, changes in rates, declaration of "off the road" status for vehicles and the non-coterminosity of licensing periods with financial reporting years.

Motor Vehicles: Licensing

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which 20 registration marks sold by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency in the last year for which figures are available have generated the greatest income; and what the selling price was in each case.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The following registration numbers have raised the most (net) revenue in the last year.
	
		
			   Net revenue (£) 
			 6 B (102,200) 
			 1 RAN (51,500) 
			 108 A (31,000) 
			 4 DAM (29,000) 
			 WEL 5H (27,200) 
			 OWN 1T (26,200) 
			 1 HEL (22,000) 
			 RUB 1Y (21,000) 
			 88 M (20,900) 
			 SYR 1A (20,500) 
			 63 AC (19,700) 
			 HU57 LER (19,500) 
			 SSS 9 (18,400) 
			 1 SLW (18,000) 
			 81 ACK (18,000) 
			 AHM 5D (16,500) 
			 42 E (15,700) 
			 SOP 81E (15,600) 
			 1 LCH (15,500) 
			 CLA 51C (15,500) 
			 Net total 523,900

Overseas Visitors

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate his Department has made of the number of UK travellers to countries outside the EU in each of the last two years.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The following table shows the number of UK residents travelling to countries outside the EU-27 in each of the last two years.
	
		
			  UK residents to countries outside the EU-27 
			  Million 
			   2006  2007 
			 By air 17.6 17.5 
			 By sea 0.6 0.7 
			  Source: International Passenger Survey (IPS)

Railways

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what light rail schemes are scheduled to open in the next two years.

Paul Clark: No new light rail schemes are scheduled to open in the next two years. However, during this period work will be continuing on a project to refurbish and upgrade the Manchester Metrolink system. This will help to ensure improved journeys for passengers on the network. The Department is providing £58 million towards the £102 million costs of this project.
	Furthermore, in May 2008 the Department approved £244.3 million towards a scheme to extend the Metrolink system to Rochdale, Oldham and Chorlton. These lines will be operational by 2012.
	We are also working closely with the promoters of the Nottingham Express Transit in regard to their proposals to extend the system. If the project is granted full approval, these new lines could be open to the public in 2013.

Railways: Electrification

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many and what proportion of miles of railways in each county are not electrified.

Paul Clark: The Department does not hold the information requested.
	This is an operational matter for Network Rail as the owner and operator of the national rail network. The hon. Member should contact Network Rail's Chief Executive at the following address for a response to his questions:
	Iain Coucher
	Chief Executive
	Network Rail
	Kings Place
	90 York Way
	London, N1 9AG.

Railways: Gloucestershire

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations  (a) Network Rail and  (b) First Great Western have made to the Office of the Rail Regulator on the issue of the Kemble to Swindon redoubling.

Paul Clark: Network Rail and First Great Western made representations in their draft determinations responses. These have been published on the Office of Rail Regulation's website at:
	 Network Rail response:
	http://www.rail-reg.gov.uk/upload/pdf/DDresp-nr-040908.pdf
	 First Great Western response:
	ttp://www.rail-reg.gov.uk/upload/pdf/DDenS-fgw-310708.pdf

Railways: Gloucestershire

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations the Office of the Rail Regulator has received from  (a) Gloucestershire county council,  (b) Gloucestershire First and  (c) the Gloucestershire Chamber of Commerce on the issue of the Kemble to Swindon redoubling.

Paul Clark: The Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) received responses to the draft determinations from Gloucestershire county council (two responses) and Gloucestershire First (two responses). ORR did not receive a separate reply from the Gloucestershire Chamber of Commerce; however, their comments were included in one of Gloucestershire First's responses to ORR. The responses have been published on the ORR website at:
	http://www.rail-reg.gov.uk/server/show/ConWebDoc.9204.

Railways: Lancashire

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what consideration he has given to promoting the construction of the Todmorden Curve to cut train journey times between Manchester and Burnley.

Paul Clark: My noble Friend the Minister of State for Transport, Lord Adonis met my hon. Friend the Member for Burnley and Padiham (Kitty Ussher) on 9 October to discuss the proposal for a direct service between Burnley and Manchester. It would be for Lancashire county council, as transport authority, to consider the best way of achieving this, in discussion with Network Rail and Northern Rail.

Road Traffic: Business

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate the Government has made of the cost of congestion to UK business in each of the last 10 years.

Paul Clark: The Department has not undertaken any studies to give such annual estimates.

Road Traffic: Costs

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the estimated annual cost to the economy of road congestion has been in each year since 1997.

Paul Clark: The Department has not undertaken any studies to give such annual estimates.

Roads: Noise

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the number of people adversely affected by noise pollution from the strategic road network in the last eight years.

Paul Clark: The Highways Agency has not detailed undertaken work to estimate the likely number of people adversely affected by noise arising from the use of the strategic road network over the last eight years.
	The Environmental Noise (England) Regulations 2006 (as amended) include provisions to improve the information available to the public about noise and its effect. The regulations require the preparation of strategic noise maps for urban areas, major roads, major railways and major airports. Following the completion of mapping, an action plan is to be drawn up to manage noise and reduce it where possible.
	This action plan will include an estimate of numbers of people affected by traffic noise from major roads, which includes a majority of the strategic road network.
	Mapping and action plans are to be prepared on a five year cycle. All mapping for this current cycle has been completed and is
	available to view on the internet at
	www.defra.gov.uk/noisemapping.
	This Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs plan to prepare and consult on drafting action plans later this year.

Roads: Repairs and Maintenance

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many local road schemes were completed in each year since 2000.

Paul Clark: The following table provides a list of local major road schemes which have been completed since 2000, and to which the Department has contributed funding of £5 million or more:
	
		
			  Scheme Name  Year completed 
			 A617 Rainworth Bypass, Nottinghamshire 2000 
			 A19 Doncaster North Bridge 2001 
			 A6002/A6007 Coventry Lane Improvement, Nottinghamshire 2001 
			 Avon Ring Road 2001 
			 Skelton Brotton Bypass, Redcar and Cleveland 2001 
			 A22 Dualling Nightingale Farm Polegate, Sussex 2001 
			 Bridgewater Northern Distributor Road, Somerset 2002. 
			 Broome/Ellingham Bypass, Essex 2002 
			 A131 Great Leighs Bypass, Essex 2002 
			 A511 Ashby Bypass Stage 2, Leicestershire 2002 
			 Wyre Piddle Bypass, Worcestershire 2002 
			 Doncaster Denaby Main Diversion 2002 
			 South Ribble Interface Improvements, Lancashire 2002 
			 A5227 Biddulph Inner Bypass, Staffordshire 2003 
			 A53 Hodnet Bypass, Shropshire 2003 
			 Barnsley Coalfields Link Road Stages 2 and 3 2003 
			 Eastern Road 2003 
			 A689 Sedgefield Wynyard Improvement, Durham 2003 
			 A206 South Thameside Development Route 4, Kent 2003 
			 West Thurrock Regeneration Route, Essex 2004 
			 Burntwood Bypass (Phase 1 to 3), Staffordshire 2004 
			 Manchester and Salford Inner Relief Road 2004 
			 A607 Rearsby Bypass 2004 
			 A617 Mansfield Ashfield Regeneration Route, Nottinghamshire 2004 
			 A350 Semington to Melksham Diversion, Wiltshire 2004 
			 South Bradford Transport Improvements 2004 
			 A167 Chilton Bypass, Durham 2005 
			 A228 Ropers Lane Phase 1, Medway 2005 
			 South Stockton Link Road (substantially completed), Stockton-on-Tees 2005 
			 A142 Ford ham Bypass, Cambridgeshire 2005 
			 A16/A158 Partney Bypass, Lincolnshire 2005 
			 Nar Ouse Regeneration Route, Norfolk 2005 
			 A57 Cadishead Way, Salford 2005 
			 A505 Baldock Bypass, Hertfordshire March 2006 
			 South Lowestoft Relief Road, Suffolk June 2006 
			 Scotswood Road Dualling, Newcastle June 2006 
			 Oakham Bypass, Rutland January 2007 
			 A58 Blackbrook Diversion, St Helens, Merseyside February 2007 
			 Pegswood Bypass, Northumberland February 2007 
			 A1198 - Papworth Everard Bypass, Cambridgeshire March 2007 
			 A612 Gedling Integrated Transport Scheme, Nottinghamshire May 2007 
			 A429 Barford Bypass, Warwickshire May 2007 
			 Barnstaple Western Bypass, Devon May 2007 
			 A38 Northfield Regeneration Relief Road, Birmingham June 2007 
			 A228 Leybourne and West Mailing Corridor Improvement Scheme, Kent July 2007 
			 Rugeley Eastern Bypass Stage 2, Staffordshire September 2007 
			 A4146 Stoke Hammond and Linslade Western Bypass, Buckinghamshire September 
			 East Kent Access - Phase 1, Kent October 2007 
			 Cradley Heath Town Centre Strategy Relief Road, Sandweii September 2007 
			 Sheffield Northern Inner Relief Road November 2007 
			 A158/C541 Coastal Access Improvement Scheme Phase 2 - (Burgh Le Marsh Bypass), Lincolnshire November 2007 
			 A165 Reighton Bypass, North Yorkshire December200 7 
			 Sunderland Southern Radial Route January 2008 
			 Ridgmont Bypass and Woburn Link Road, Bedfordshire June 2008 
			 Tunstall Northern Bypass, Stoke on Trent July 2008 
			 Darlington Eastern Transport Corridor, Darlington August 2008 
			 Brierley Hill Access Network, Dudley September 2008 
			 A631 -West Bawtry Road Improvements, Rotherham End September 2008 
			 A688 - Wheatley Hill to Bowburn Link, Durham October 2008

Roads: Tolls

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what tolls and charges are applied for use of  (a) bridges and  (b) tunnels on the motorway and trunk road network, broken down by charges for (i) cars, (ii) buses, (iii) lorries and (iv) motorcycles.

Paul Clark: Tolls and charges are applied to certain bridges and tunnels on the motorway and trunk road network in England. Only the Dartford crossing is the direct responsibility of the Government. The Severn river crossings and M6 toll are operated by concessionaires. The Tamar crossing and Tyne tunnel, although forming parts of trunk road routes, are the responsibility of local authorities. The following information is available from the websites of the operators. These websites also provide more detailed information on tolls and charges such as discounts for those choosing to pay using electronic "tags".
	
		
			  Severn River Crossings (tolls are charged westwards only) 
			  £ 
			 Vehicle Category 1 (Up to 9 Seats) 5.30 
			 Vehicle Category 2 (Small bus up to 17 seats and Goods vehicles up to 3,500kg) 10.60 
			 Vehicle Category 3 (18 seats and more and goods vehicles from 3,500kg) 15.90 
			  Note: 1 Motorcycles are exempt from Toll Charges. 
		
	
	
		
			  Dartford-Thurrock River Crossing 
			  £ 
			   6am-10pm  10pm-6am 
			 Motor Cycle Free Free 
			 Motor Car £1.00 £1.00 
			 Light or Medium Goods Vehicle £1.80 £1.00 
			 HGV, Motor Coach or Omnibus £2.90 £1.00 
			  Note: As Parliament has previously been notified, a new charging regime is being introduced shortly. Charges will change from 10pm on 15 November 2008. 
		
	
	
		
			  M6 Toll 
			  £ 
			   6am-11pm  11 pm-6am 
			 Class 1 (Motorcycle) 2.50 1.50 
			 Class 2 (Car) 4.50 3.50 
			 Class 3 (Car & Trailer) 8.00 7.00 
			 Class 4 (Van/Coach) 9.00 8.00 
			 Class 5 (HGV) 9.00 8.00 
		
	
	
		
			  Tamar Bridge 
			  £ 
			   Single  With trailer 
			 Motorcycle Free Free 
			 2 Axle MGW under 3.5 tonnes 1.00 2.00 
			 2 Axle MGW over 3.5 tonnes 2.50 5.00 
			 3 Axle HGV 4.00 8.00 
			 4 or more Axles HGV 5.50 11.00 
		
	
	
		
			  Tyne Tunnel 
			  £ 
			 Motorbikes 20p 
			 Cars and Light Vans 1.20 
			 Lorries, Buses, Vans over 3,500kg 1.50

Taxis: Vetting

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make it his policy to require full criminal record checks, covering the entire adult life, of foreign nationals seeking work as licensed taxi drivers.

Paul Clark: The legislation governing taxi driver licensing requires local authorities to carry out such checks as they regard necessary in order to satisfy themselves that an applicant for a taxi driver licence is a
	"fit and proper person".
	It is for each authority to decide what checks to carry out. In making an assessment about applicants' suitability, local authorities can make use of information on an applicant's criminal record.
	We have no plans to change this position. However, we have provided Best Practice Guidance to assist local licensing authorities in carrying out their licensing responsibilities. The Guidance, which was published in 2006 drew attention to the importance of local authorities having a policy on background checks for applicants from outside the UK. It provided a link to the Criminal Records Bureau website which contains information about obtaining certificates of good conduct, or similar documents, from a number of countries. In considering revisions to, and updating of, the Guidance over the next few months, we will review whether this particular section should be strengthened.

Transport: Schools

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many school run car journeys he estimates were made in each year since 1997, broken down by the smallest available geographical unit.

Paul Clark: Data on the number of school run car journeys are not available centrally. However, figures on the proportion of trips to school by mode and region are published in Regional Transport Statistics. The 2007 Edition of this publication is available on the Department for Transport's website at:
	www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/statistics/datatablespublications/regionaldata/rts/regtranstats2007.

Transport: Schools

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what percentage of schools in England he estimates have a travel plan in place.

Paul Clark: Nearly 70 per cent. of schools currently have a travel plan in place and we are on track to meet our target of all schools to have a travel plan by 2010.

Vehicle Number Plates

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what regulations govern the bearing of representations of  (a) the EU flag and  (b) the Union flag on motor vehicle licence plates.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Road Vehicles (Display of Registration Marks) Regulations 2001 permit the voluntary display of the GB Euro symbol on number plates. These Regulations would not permit without amendment the Union Flag or other national identifiers.

West Coast Railway Line

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects Network Rail to end disruption to train journeys from London Euston to Stoke-on-Trent and Manchester at weekends during the modernisation of the West Coast Main Line.

Paul Clark: Network Rail has advised that the seven day railway will start with the new timetable in December. However, after the modernisation programme has finished, there will still be a continuing need to maintain and renew assets. This will take place late on Saturday evenings, on Sunday mornings and on Bank Holiday weekends.

West Coast Railway Line

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects rail journey times from London Euston to Stoke-on-Trent and Manchester on  (a) Saturdays and  (b) Sundays to run as frequently as the weekday service.

Paul Clark: The weekday off-peak service pattern and journey times from Euston to Stoke and Manchester will apply to Saturdays, and from 12.00 on Sundays, when the new timetable commences in December.

HEALTH

Breast Cancer: Counselling

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people treated for breast cancer also received psychological and emotional support during and after treatment in each of the last three years.

Ann Keen: This information is not collected centrally.
	The Cancer Reform Strategy said that it is important for all service providers to have established pathways to enable patients to access specialist psychological support as and when they need it. It is for commissioners to ensure that adequate provision is available so that all patients, families and carers can access the appropriate psychological support for them. This includes establishing service level agreements with local mental health services for more advanced support.

Departmental Procurement

Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of invoices for goods and services procured from small- and medium-sized businesses were paid within 30 days of receipt by  (a) his Department and  (b) the agencies for which his Department is responsible in 2007-08; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: The total number of invoices paid within 30 days of receipt in 2007-08 by the Department and its agencies for which the Department is responsible are shown in the following table.
	The Department does not differentiate between small and medium sized businesses so the figures shown represent the total of all received invoices.
	
		
			   Total number of invoices received  Total number of invoices paid on time  Percentage  Total number of invoices paid  Percentage 
			 Department of Health(1) 80,570 79,190 98.3 1,380 1.7 
			 NHS Purchasing and Supply Agency 3,351 3,100 92.5 251 7.5 
			 Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency 8,771 8,449 96.3 322 3.7 
			 Total 92,692 90,739 97.9 1,953 2.1 
			 (1) Includes all payments made using the Government Procurement Card (GPC).

Drugs: Rehabilitation

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients were prescribed methadone and other hard drug substitutes in the latest period for which figures are available; and what the size is of the waiting list for substitutes programmes.

Dawn Primarolo: The National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse (NTA) collects data on the types of treatment a client receives via the National Drug Treatment Monitoring System (NDTMS). The majority of clients will have received methadone, as part of their treatment programme/regime. Other substitute medication which clients may have received includes buprenorphine and diamorphine. However the data do not differentiate between the types of substitute medication prescribed to clients.
	
		
			  Type of treatment  2007-08 
			 Specialist prescribing 99,963 
			 GP prescribing 47,036 
			  Note: These figures may overlap as clients can receive treatment in both a specialist and GP setting in any given year. 
		
	
	The following is taken from NDTMS statistics published in October 2008 and relates to the period 1 April 2007 to 31 March 2008.
	
		
			  Waiting times for treatments started during 2007-08—first and subsequent interventions 
			   Waiting time less than or equal to 3 weeks  Waiting time greater than 3 weeks 
			  Modality  Number  Percentage  Number  Percentage 
			 Specialist prescribing 41,276 91 3,976 9 
			 GP prescribing 15,446 92 1,315 8 
		
	
	The report from which these figures are taken is available for download from the NTA website at:
	http://www.nta.nhs.uk/areas/facts_and_figures/0708/docs/ndtms_annual_report_2007_08_011008.pdf.

Health Services: Per Capita Costs

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was spent per head on health in  (a) rural and  (b) urban areas in 2007-08.

Ben Bradshaw: The information requested is not collected centrally.

NHS: Reorganisation

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which NHS hospital trusts are bidding for foundation trust status; and what criteria must be satisfied before they can achieve such status.

Ben Bradshaw: The decision to authorise a national health service foundation trust rests entirely with Monitor (the statutory name for which is the Independent Regulator of NHS Foundation Trusts). Applicants must demonstrate to Monitor that they are:
	financially and clinically viable;
	legally constituted and locally representative; and
	well governed.
	An applicant trust must receive the Secretary of State's support in order to apply to Monitor for authorisation. Five NHS hospital trusts made a formal application for Secretary of State's support on 1 October 2008. These are:
	The Hillingdon NHS Trust;
	Calderstones NHS Trust;
	East Kent Hospitals NHS Trust;
	South Tees NHS Trust; and
	West Suffolk NHS Trust.
	There are currently 21 NHS hospital trusts undergoing or awaiting assessment by Monitor (including deferrals). These are:
	Burton Hospitals NHS Trust;
	Central Manchester and Manchester Children's University Hospital NHS Trust;
	Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust;
	Devon Partnership NHS Trust;
	Ealing Hospital NHS Trust;
	East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust;
	Hampshire Partnership NHS Trust;
	Kettering General Hospital NHS Trust;
	Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital NHS Trust;
	North Cheshire Hospitals Hospital NHS Trust;
	Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust;
	Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Trust;
	Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust;
	Royal Brampton and Harefield NHS Trust;
	Royal Free Hampstead NHS Trust;
	Sandwell Mental Health NHS and Social Care Trust;
	South West Yorkshire Mental Health NHS Trust;
	Swindon and Marlborough NHS Trust;
	The Walton Centre for Neurology and Neurosurgery NHS Trust;
	Whittington NHS Trust; and
	Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh NHS Trust.

Vaccination: Children

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent representations he has received on the adequacy of the supply and distribution of vaccines for children and babies.

Dawn Primarolo: holding answer 16 October 2008
	I can confirm that I have had no recent representations about the adequacy of the supply and distribution of vaccines for children and babies. The Department has received correspondence on vaccine issues and these have and continue to be responded to.
	The immunisation branch of the Department is in constant contact with primary care trusts and general practitioners to ensure appropriate vaccine supply is maintained.

DEFENCE

Armed Forces: Hospitals

Frank Dobson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which armed forces hospitals have been closed in the last 30 years; and what the date of each such closure was.

Kevan Jones: holding answer 15 October 2008
	Details of the British Military Hospitals (BMH) that have closed since 1978 are shown as follows.
	
		
			  Country  Hospital  Closed 
			 UK Princess of Wales RAF Hospital, Ely 1992 
			  Royal Naval Hospital, Stonehouse (Plymouth) 1995 
			  Queen Elizabeth Military Hospital, Woolwich 1995 
			  Cambridge Military Hospital, Aldershot 1995 
			  Princess Alexandra RAF Hospital, Wroughton 1996 
			  Princess Mary RAF Hospital, Halton 1996 
			  Duchess of Kent Military Hospital, Catterick 1999 
			  Duchess of Kent Psychiatric Hospital, Catterick 2003 
			  Royal Hospital Haslar, Gosport 2007 
			
			 Cyprus BMH Dhekelia(1) 1978 
			
			 Gibraltar Royal Naval Hospital, Gibraltar(2) 2008 
			
			 Falkland Islands Military Wing at King Edward VII Memorial Hospital 2000 
			
			 Nepal BMH Dharan 1989 
			
			 Hong Kong British Military Hospital, Kings Park 1996 
			 (1) The Princess Mary Hospital at Akrotiri remains in operation. (2) Medical care is provided by the new, purpose built Princess Royal Medical Centre. 
		
	
	Officials are working to retrieve information on BMHs in Germany and to identify other overseas hospitals that closed during the last 30 years. However any records retained will have been archived and cannot be immediately accessed. I will write to my right hon. Friend once this exercise is complete to advise him of the results.

Armed Forces: Training

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many members of the Armed Forces were sent to the  (a) US Navy War College,  (b) US National Defense University,  (c) US Army War College,  (d) US Air University and  (e) European Security and Defence College in each year since 2005.

Kevan Jones: The following table details attendance.
	
		
			   2005  2006  2007  2008  Total 
			 US Navy War College 2 1 2 1 6 
			 US National Defense University 0 0 1 0 1 
			 US Army War College 1 1 1 1 4 
			 US Air University(1) 2 3 2 4 11 
			 European Security and Defence College 5 7 12 12 36 
			 (1) Includes attendance (x4) at School of Advanced Air and Space Studies (SAASS).

War Pensions

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people in  (a) Jarrow constituency,  (b) South Tyneside,  (c) the North East and  (d) England were in receipt of a war pension in each year since 1997.

Kevan Jones: The number of people in receipt of a war pension as at 31 December in Jarrow constituency, South Tyneside, the North East, and England for each of the calendar years from 2000 to 2007 can be found in the following table. Data is only available as at 30 June for the present calendar year. Data prior to the year 2000 is unavailable.
	
		
			  Number of people in receipt of a war pension in Jarrow constituency. South Tyneside. the North East and England, from 2000 to date( 1,)( )( 2) 
			  Number of war pensioners 
			   A s at 31 December:  
			   2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007  31 June  2008 
			 Jarrow 895 845 805 760 730 690 640 605 580 
			 South Tyneside 1,735 1,630 1,540 1,415 1,350 1,255 1,160 1,075 1,030 
			 North East 16,840 16,080 15,315 14,490 13,755 13,100 12,445 11,745 11,420 
			 England 194,845 187,695 179,875 151,735 144,030 136,735 129,870 123,220 119,775 
			 (1) Figures have been rounded to the nearest five. (2) Figures prior to 2006 are not directly comparable to those published in the quarterly War Pensions National Statistic due to recent improvements in data processing.

War Pensions

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what expenditure on  (a) the war pension scheme and  (b) the armed forces compensation scheme was in each year since 2004; and what estimates he has made of likely expenditure on each in each of the next three years.

Kevan Jones: The expenditure on the War Pension Scheme is as follows:
	
		
			  Financial year  £ million 
			 2004-05 1,110.082 
			 2005-06 1,066.932 
			 2006-07 1,038.574 
			 2007-08 1,014.616 
		
	
	The current estimated expenditure for the next three years is:
	
		
			  Financial year  £ million 
			 2008-09 1,015.602 
			 2009-10 991.921 
			 2010-11 941.758 
		
	
	The Armed Forces Compensation Scheme began on 6 April 2005 and the expenditure on it is as follows:
	
		
			  Financial year  £ million 
			 2004-05 — 
			 2005-06 1.274 
			 2006-07 6.159 
			 2007-08 13.067 
		
	
	The current estimated expenditure for the next three years is:
	
		
			  Financial year  Amount (£ million) 
			 2008-09 17.455 
			 2009-10 27.270 
			 2010-11 42.743

WOMEN AND EQUALITY

Departmental Pay

David Simpson: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality how many non-pensionable bonuses were awarded to members of staff in the Government Equalities Office in the last 12 months; and at what cost to the public purse.

Maria Eagle: In the last 12 months the GEO has awarded 43 non-pensionable bonuses at a total cost before tax of £16,650.

Equality: Public Bodies

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality what the make-up of the board of each public body is broken down by  (a) gender,  (b) race,  (c) disability,  (d) faith,  (e) age and  (f) sexual orientation.

Maria Eagle: The Government Equalities Office (GEO) sponsors two non departmental public bodies (NDPBs):
	The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), an executive NDPB and;
	The Women's National Commission (WNC), an advisory NDPB.
	There is no central requirement to collect data on faith, age and sexual orientation. However, details are shown in the following table for gender, disability and ethnicity and these percentages are based on figures as at 31 March 2008.
	
		
			  Percentage 
			   Appointees 
			   Male  Female  Disabled  Ethnic minority 
			 EHRC 37.5 62.5 18.8 37.5 
			 WNC 0 100 0 33.3 
		
	
	This data will also be available along with other Departments' statistics in the Cabinet Office publication "Public Bodies 2008", which will be released in the new year.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Departmental ICT

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what information technology projects  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies cancelled prior to completion in each of the last five years; and what the cost of each project was at cancellation.

Jonathan R Shaw: The Department for Work and Pensions was created in June 2001. The Department undertakes a large number of projects which deliver business change and policy initiatives. The great majority have been, and continue to be, successful. IT changes are an enabling component of many projects. The number of projects in train at any one time will vary and the duration of the project lifecycle is often more than one calendar year. The following table includes only those projects that have been formally closed where the IT element was such that non-delivery of the IT significantly affected the project's ability to deliver its intended results and the investment in the project exceeded £1 million.
	
		
			  Project name  Investment expenditure £(million) 
			 Document Management 1.4 
			 Retirement Planner 11.2 
			 Benefits Processing Replacement Programme (BPRP) 143(1) 
			 (1) Including future commitments 
		
	
	Of the total investment in BPRP, £73 million out of the £143 million has been of value to the Department, notwithstanding the project's cancellation, as detailed in the Jobcentre Plus 2006-07 Resource Accounts. Part of the residual investment has been reimbursed to the Department, in work and kind, by the project's main provider.

Departmental Marketing

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the cost effectiveness of Government-commissioned advertising in the last 12 months relating to matters falling within the remit of his Department.

Jonathan R Shaw: Government policies and programmes affect the lives of millions of people and in order for them to work they must be communicated effectively. The Department runs communications campaigns to support the delivery of its key policies to the appropriate audiences, and advertising is used where appropriate.
	The effectiveness of advertising, as with all communications activity, is rigorously assessed according to the individual criteria and objectives set out for each initiative, and results are used to measure effectiveness and to inform future strategy. Methods include quantitative surveys carried out before, during and after advertising campaigns, qualitative assessment of creative work, and in-depth work with samples of those targeted by advertising. The Department is committed to setting robust evaluation metrics for all of its communications activity.

Departmental Public Relations

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies spent on each of the external public relations and marketing companies included in the Central Office of Information's Public Relations Framework in each of the last 36 months.

Jonathan R Shaw: The spend by the DWP and its agencies with the Central Office of Information through its Public Relations Framework for the past three years is detailed in the following table. The data are held on a project basis.
	All services requested through COI are procured on an open tender basis with suppliers from their approved range of rosters, following standard procurement processes and in line with EU directives.
	
		
			  DWP Business Unit/Agency  PR Agency  Cost (£) 
			  FY 2005-06   
			 Jobcentre Plus GCI 112 
			 DWP Work and wellbeing PR Fishburn Hedges 43 
			 Jobcentre Plus corporate comms Fishburn Hedges 300 
			 Total  455 
			
			  FY 2006-07   
			 DWP Communications Corporate Red Consultancy 34 
			 Child Support Agency Fishburn Hedges 54 
			 Jobcentre Plus corporate comms Fishburn Hedges 242 
			 Total  330 
			
			  FY 2007-08   
			 DWP Communications Corporate Manning Selvage and Lee 113 
			 Jobcentre Plus corporate comms Fishburn Hedges 326 
			 Jobcentre Plus—Local Employment Partnership (LEP) Fishburn Hedges 265 
			 DWP Communications Corporate Red 150 
			 Total  854

Employment

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 22 July 2008,  Official Report, column 1180W, on employment, what the figures are for the second quarter of 2008 on the same basis as the figures contained in the Answer.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 8 October 2008
	The information requested is in the following table.
	
		
			   Quarter 2 2008 
			   (i) Employment  r ate (percentage)  (ii) Working age employment  (iii)16+ Employment 
			 Foreign nationals 68.9 2,270,000 2,300,000 
			 EU nationals 79.5 1,060,000 1,080,000 
			 Non-EU nationals 61.7 1,200,000 1,220,000 
			  Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10,000. 2. The figures provided in the tables are not seasonally adjusted. This means direct comparisons between different quarters are not possible. 3. Nationals from all 27 member states (excluding UK) are included in EU figures. 4. The totals for foreign nationals may not be equal to the sum of the corresponding numbers shown for EU and non-EU nationals due to rounding. 5. As these figures are based on a sample survey they are also subject to sampling variability. 6. It should be noted that the nationality question in the LFS is an undercount because: a. it excludes those who have not been resident in the UK for six months; b. it excludes students in halls who do not have a UK resident parent; c. it excludes people in most other types of communal establishments (e.g. hotels, boarding houses, hostels, mobile home sites, etc); d. it is grossed to population estimates that only include migrants staying for 12 months or more. 7. Column (i) refers to the employment rate of working age people, that is the employment level of the working age population as a proportion of the total working age population. Column (ii) refers to the employment level of people of working age, females aged 16-59 and males aged 16-64. Column (iii) refers to the employment level of people aged 16 or over. Source: Labour Force Survey (LFS)

Industrial Health and Safety: Cemeteries

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he plans to issue new guidance on health and safety in graveyards.

Jonathan R Shaw: The Health and Safety Executive is supporting the Ministry of Justice and representatives from across the burial industry in finalising guidance on how to manage the risk associated with unstable memorials. The final guidance is due to be discussed at this month's meeting of the Ministry of Justice's Burials and Cemeteries Advisory Group. Subject to agreement there, the intention is to publish in the coming weeks.

Social Security Benefits: Pensioners

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much was spent on each type of benefit for pensioners in each year from 1997 to 2007; and how much is forecast to be spent on each type of benefit in each year from 2008 to 2030.

Rosie Winterton: The information requested is in the following tables.
	
		
			  £ million 
			   Outturn 
			  Great Britain, Nominal Terms  1997-98  1998-9 9  1999-2000  2000- 0 1  2001-0 2  2002-03 
			 State Pension 33,586 35,603 37,802 38,745 41,922 44,367 
			 Income Support for people over 60/Minimum Income Guarantee/ Pension Credit 3,721 3,566 3,725 4,035 4,417 4,405 
			 Housing Benefit 3,781 3,842 3,926 4,108 4,378 4,728 
			 Council Tax Benefit 1,080 1,125 1,162 1,228 1,324 1,418 
			 Disability Living Allowance 1,373 1,529 1,685 1,847 2,045 2,184 
			 Attendance Allowance 2,521 2,680 2,823 2,955 3,124 3,251 
			 Invalid Care Allowance/Carer's Allowance 37 38 38 57 61 46 
			 Widows'/Bereavement Benefits 139 135 129 120 119 152 
			 Winter Fuel Allowance 191 194 759 1,749 1,681 1,705 
			 Age Related Payments 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 TV Licence 0 0 0 306 365 374 
			 Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefits 288 290 290 305 315 324 
			 Severe Disablement Allowance 136 144 144 163 165 163 
			 Christmas Bonus 123 124 118 119 120 120 
			 Social Fund 22 22 22 36 28 29 
			 Incapacity Benefit (basic and earnings related) 668 431 161 3 0 0 
			 Total Expenditure 47,666 49,724 52,786 55,775 60,064 63,268 
		
	
	
		
			  £ million 
			   Outturn  Estimat ed Outturn  Forecas t 
			  Great Britain, Nominal Terms  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 
			 State Pension 46,506 48,802 51,422 53,663 57,406 61,313 
			 Income Support for people over 60/Minimum Income Guarantee/ Pension Credit 4,851 5,971 6,426 6,869 7,332 7,505 
			 Housing Benefit 4,437 4,545 4,561 4,856 5,086 5,391 
			 Council Tax Benefit 1,610 1,827 1,842 2,002 2,078 2,192 
			 Disability Living Allowance 2,400 2,609 2,825 3,060 3,370 3,673 
			 Attendance Allowance 3,457 3,674 3,924 4,149 4,438 4,668 
			 Invalid Care Allowance/Carer's Allowance 36 38 36 39 46 52 
			 Widows'/Bereavement Benefits 141 137 126 113 104 92 
			 Winter Fuel Allowance 1,916 1,962 1,982 2,015 2,061 2,664 
			 Age Related Payments 0 513 1,132 0 0 0 
			 TV Licence 412 435 461 488 508 528 
			 Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefits 311 331 332 342 348 372 
			 Severe Disablement Allowance 170 124 128 135 144 153 
			 Christmas Bonus 122 123 124 126 127 129 
			 Social Fund 30 33 42 42 42 41 
			 Incapacity Benefit (basic and earnings related) 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Total Expenditure 66,399 71,124 75,363 77,899 83,092 88,773 
		
	
	
		
			  £ million 
			   Forecast  Projections 
			  Great Britain, Nominal Terms  2009-10  2010-11  2015-16  2020-21  2025-26  2030-31 
			 State Pension 65,175 68,106 91,683 122,64 7 167,82 7 220,823 
			 Income Support for people over 60/Minimum Income Guarantee/ Pension Credit 7,771 8,033 8,797 9,071 10,149 11,070 
			 Housing Benefit 5,726 5,973 6,459 7,230 8,960 10,877 
			 Council Tax Benefit 2,354 2,500 2,899 3,318 4,005 4,684 
			 Disability Living Allowance 3,978 4,179 11,586 14,430 18,325 22,604 
			 Attendance Allowance 4,888 5,066 0 0 0 0 
			 Invalid Care Allowance/Carer's Allowance 58 65 68 63 157 199 
			 Widows'/Bereavement Benefits 77 58 7 0 0 0 
			 Winter Fuel Allowance 2,140 2,148 2,070 2,045 2,189 2,382 
			 Age Related Payments 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 TV Licence 545 565 770 1,081 1,600 2,059 
			 Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefits 387 396 476 533 589 640 
			 Severe Disablement Allowance 158 160 155 139 98 69 
			 Christmas Bonus 131 133 137 140 153 165 
			 Social Fund 40 41 49 57 66 77 
			 Incapacity Benefit (basic and earnings related) 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Total Expenditure 93,429 97,423 125,15 5 160,75 3 214,11 7 275,650 
		
	
	
		
			  £ million 
			   Outturn 
			  Great Britain, 2008-09 Prices  1997-98  1998-99  1999-2000  2000- 01  2001-02  2002-03 
			 State Pension 44,44 4 45,950 47,824 48,328 51,068! 52,407 
			 Income Support for people over 60/Minimum Income Guarantee/ Pension Credit 4,924 4,602 4,713 5,033 5,381 5,204 
			 Housing Benefit 5,003 4,959 4,967 5,123 5,333 5,585 
			 Council Tax Benefit 1,429 1,452 1,470 1,532 1,613 1,675 
			 Disability Living Allowance 1,817 1,974 2,132 2,304 2,491 2,580 
			 Attendance Allowance 3,336 3,459 3,571 3,686 3,806 3,840 
			 Invalid Care Allowance/Carer's Allowance 49 50 49 71 75 54 
			 Widows'/Bereavement Benefits 185 174 163 150 145 179 
			 Winter Fuel Allowance 252 251 961 2,182 2,047 2,014 
			 Age Related Payments 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 TV Licence — — — 381 445 442 
			 Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefits 381 375 367 380 383 383 
			 Severe Disablement Allowance 180 186 182 203 202 192 
			 Christmas Bonus 163 161 150 148 146 142 
			 Social Fund 29 29 28 44 34 34 
			 Incapacity Benefit (basic and earnings related) 884 556 203 4 — — 
			 Total Expenditure 63,07 6 64,175 66,779 69,570 73,168 74,732 
		
	
	
		
			  £ million 
			   Outturn  Estimate d Outturn  Forecast 
			  Great Britain, 2008-09 Prices  2003-04  2004-05  2005/06  2006/-07  2007-08  2008-09 
			 State Pension 53,38 7 54,51 6 56,25 5 57,070 59,128 61,313 
			 Income Support for people over 60/Minimum Income Guarantee/ Pension Credit 5,569 6,670 7,030 7,305 7,552 7,505 
			 Housing Benefit 5,093 5,077 4,990 5,164 5,239 5,391 
			 Council Tax Benefit 1,848 2,041 2,016 2,129 2,141 2,192 
			 Disability Living Allowance 2,755 2,914 3,090 3,254 3,471 3,673 
			 Attendance Allowance 3,968 4,104 4,293 4,413 4,571 4,668 
			 Invalid Care Allowance/Carer's Allowance 42 43 39 42 47 52 
			 Widows'/Bereavement Benefits 162 154 138 120 107 92 
			 Winter Fuel Allowance 2,199 2,192 2,168 2,143 2,123 2,664 
			 Age Related Payments 0 573 1,238 0 0 0 
			 TV Licence 473 486 504 519 523 528 
			 Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefits 357 370 363 363 359 372 
			 Severe Disablement Allowance 195 139 140 144 149 153 
			 Christmas Bonus 140 137 136 134 131 129 
			 Social Fund 35 36 46 45 43 41 
			 Incapacity Benefit (basic and earnings related) — — — — — — 
			 Total Expenditure 76,222 79,452 82,446 82,844 85,585 88,773 
		
	
	
		
			  £ million 
			   Forecast  Projections 
			  Great Britain, 2008-09 Prices  2009-10  2010-11  2015-16  2020-21  2025-26  2030-31 
			 State Pension 63,431 64,510 75,885 88,194 104,761 119,658 
			 Income Support for people over 60/Minimum Income Guarantee/ Pension Credit 7,563 7,609 7,281 6,523 6,335 5,998 
			 Housing Benefit 5,573 5,657 5,346 5,199 5,593 5,894 
			 Council Tax Benefit 2,291 2,368 2,399 2,386 2,500 2,538 
			 Disability Living Allowance 3,871 3,959 9,589 10,377 11,439 12,248 
			 Attendance Allowance 4,757 4,798 — — — — 
			 Invalid Care Allowance/Carer's 57 62 56 45 98 108 
			 Allowance   
			 Widows'/Bereavement Benefits 75 54 6
			 Age Related Payments 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Winter Fuel Allowance 2,083 2,035 1,713 1,471 1,366 1,291 
			 TV Licence 531 535 637 777 999 1,116 
			 Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefits 377 375 394 383 367 347 
			 Severe Disablement Allowance 153 151 128 100 61 57 
			 Christmas Bonus 127 126 113 101 95 90 
			 Social Fund 39 39 41 41 41 42 
			 Incapacity Benefit (basic and earnings related) — — — — — — 
			 Total Expenditure 90,929 92,278 103,589 115,596 133,656 149,387 
			  Notes: 1 All figures are consistent with Budget 2008, as well as expenditure information published on the internet at www.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd4/expenditure.asp. 2 Figures are rounded to the nearest million pounds. Totals may not sum due to rounding. 3 Responsibility for War Pensions passed to the Veterans Agency in 2002-03. Therefore this benefit is not included in the tables. Independent Living Fund (ILF) figures are also not included in the table as this benefit comes under Departmental Expenditure Limits (DEL) from 2008-09 onwards. 4. The state pension figure in the table includes the child element of the pensioner benefit. 5. Age related payments include one off payments made to pensioners over 65 years of age in 2004-05 and to people over 65 years and 70 years of age in 2005-06. 6. The projections of benefit expenditure from 2015-16 to 2030-31 take account of the reforms in the Pensions Act 2007. These are illustrative projections, in that they are designed to show the overall fiscal sustainability of benefit policy, as it stands at 2010-11 (the end of the current planning period), along with any future changes to benefits that have already been decided upon, under a particular set of reasonable assumptions. Legislation provides that earnings uprating of BSP will begin in the next Parliament. These projections assume it commences in 2012. In addition, the projections are part of a series showing a broad path of expenditure up to 2050-51. The projections shown are for the United Kingdom, unlike other forecasts up to and including 2010-11 which only cover Great Britain : for TV Licence payments all figures cover the UK.  Source:  Departmental Accounting and statistical data.

Statutory Sick Pay

Ian Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many employers have incurred a penalty for refusing or repeatedly refusing to pay statutory sick pay in the last two years; what the level of the penalty imposed was in each case; and how long after the initial claim was made by the employee was the fine for refusal imposed in each case.

Stephen Timms: I have been asked to reply
	HMRC set up a centralised system to record Statutory Payments penalties on 1 April 2008. Since then no penalties have been recorded for the offence specified.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Council Tax: Tax Rates and Bands

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the difference in council tax for a band D property is between each two-tier authority and its nearest unitary authority.

John Healey: Details of the level of B and D council tax in England are available on the Communities and Local Government website at:
	http://www.local.communities.gov.uk/finance/ctax/data/ctax089t6.xls

Departmental Executive Agencies

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many agencies were sponsored by her Department or its predecessors in  (a) 2007-08 and  (b) 1997-98.

Sadiq Khan: The Department's three Executive Agencies that it sponsors are the Fire Service College, the Planning Inspectorate and the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre.
	In 1997-98, the majority of the Department for Communities and Local Government's functions were the responsibility of the Department for Environment, Transport and the Regions (DETR). At that time DETR sponsored eight executive agencies, most of which are now the responsibility of the Department for Transport.

Fire Services

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what discussions her Department has had with the Audit Commission on overseeing cost savings from the FiReControl project; and if she will make a statement.

Sadiq Khan: We have had no discussions with the Audit Commission in relation to cost savings from FiReControl.

Fire Services

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what progress has been made in the implementation of the FireGuard project; and if she will make a statement.

Sadiq Khan: Fireguard is a collaborative procurement between 33 fire and rescue authorities. We understand that the Project Board meets on 27 October, at which decisions will be taken as to whether a contract will be taken forward.

Fire Services: Finance

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent discussions she has had with  (a) fire and rescue services and  (b) fire authorities on the disaggregation of regional funding for resilience issues to individual fire and rescue services; and if she will make a statement.

Sadiq Khan: We published on 8 July the FiReControl Business Case Part 1: "The Regional Case" and a copy was placed in the House Library. This agreed in principle to meet the costs of running the regional control centres in regions not expected to make savings.

Fire Services: Finance

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the budget for each fire and rescue service in England and Wales is for  (a) 2008-09,  (b) 2009-10 and  (c) 2010-11.

Sadiq Khan: The following figures show net current expenditure on 'Fire and Rescue Services' 2008-09 (from revenue account budgets) for all English Fire and Rescue Services. Figures for 2009-10 and 2010-11 are not yet available. Figures for Fire and Rescue Services in Wales are the responsibility of the devolved Administration.
	
		
			  Net current expenditure on 'Fire and Rescue Services': Revenue account budget 2008-09 
			   £ million 
			 Greater London Authority 462.946 
			   
			 Greater Manchester Fire and CD Authority 132.075 
			 Merseyside Fire and CD Authority 75.511 
			 South Yorkshire Fire and CD Authority 66.721 
			 Tyne and Wear Fire and CD Authority 61.925 
			 West Midlands Fire and CD Authority 115.616 
			 West Yorkshire Fire and CD Authority 91.652 
			   
			 Avon Combined Fire Authority 46.479 
			 Bedfordshire Combined Fire Authority 29.172 
			 Berkshire Combined Fire Authority 38.074 
			 Buckinghamshire Combined Fire Authority 26.370 
			 Cambridgeshire Combined Fire Authority 26.661 
			 Cheshire Combined Fire Authority 41.086 
			 Cleveland Combined Fire Authority 32.952 
			 Derbyshire Combined Fire Authority 35.016 
			 Devon and Somerset Combined Fire Authority 71.859 
			 Dorset Combined Fire Authority 23.262 
			 Durham Combined Fire Authority 32.122 
			 East Sussex Combined Fire Authority 34.732 
			 Essex Combined Fire Authority 77.415 
			 Hampshire Combined Fire Authority 68.290 
			 Hereford and Worcester Combined Fire Authority 32.797 
			 Humberside Combined Fire Authority 51.638 
			 Kent Combined Fire Authority 73.653 
			 Lancashire Combined Fire Authority 62.175 
			 Leicestershire Combined Fire Authority 34.541 
			 North Yorkshire Combined Fire Authority 39.814 
			 Nottinghamshire Combined Fire Authority 44.486 
			 Shropshire Combined Fire Authority 16.128 
			 Staffordshire Combined Fire Authority 38.709 
			 Wiltshire Combined Fire Authority 18.175 
			   
			 Cornwall 21.625 
			 Cumbria 23.443 
			 Gloucestershire 21.913 
			 Hertfordshire 40.840 
			 Lincolnshire 28.076 
			 Norfolk 31.275 
			 Northamptonshire 22.000 
			 Northumberland 15.996 
			 Oxfordshire 25.438 
			 Suffolk 24.781 
			 Surrey 40.234 
			 Warwickshire 22.767 
			 West Sussex 36.354 
			 Isle of Wight UA 6.786 
			 Isles of Scilly 0.348 
			   
			 Total 2,363.928

Fire Services: Floods

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent discussions she has had with  (a) fire and rescue services and  (b) fire authorities on section 9 of the Fire and Rescue Services Act 2004, in respect of a statutory duty to assist with flooding incidents; and if she will make a statement.

Sadiq Khan: Government are considering the case for a statutory duty on the Fire and Rescue Service for flood rescue following the publication of Sir Michael Pitt's overarching review of the lessons learned from the 2007 floods. We are currently consulting with the UK Search and Rescue Group on this matter, of which the Chief Fire Officers' Association, and other local responders with flood rescue expertise, are members.

FireBuy

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will make a statement on the take-up of FireBuy.

Sadiq Khan: FireBuy was established as the national procurement body for the English Fire and Rescue Service in March 2006. A large number of fire and rescue authorities are now using the contracts and framework arrangements set up by FireBuy. These include smoke alarms, hand-held radios, and a range of specialist fire vehicles and appliances. Other national contract arrangements, for items such as clothing, personal protective equipment and breathing apparatus, are now becoming available and are also likely to be widely used by fire and rescue authorities, as well as a range of other public sector bodies.

Housing: Floods

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many households displaced by flooding in summer 2007 have not yet been able to return to their homes, broken down by  (a) local authority area and  (b) household size.

John Healey: As at 30 June, we estimate that approximately 3,400 households remained wholly or partially displaced from their homes following the floods of summer 2007. Around 28 per cent. of those not back in their homes at the end of May had returned by the end of June. A breakdown of the figures by local authority area is available at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/corporate/pdf/895062.pdf
	More up-to-date estimates of households still displaced will be published shortly, once we have completed further work to assess their robustness.
	The Department does not collect information on the size of households still wholly or partially displaced from their homes.

Housing: Floods

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the average cost was of insuring a home against  (a) coastal and  (b) inland flooding in each of the last five years.

John Healey: We do not hold this information. Flooding risk is usually included as part of general domestic insurance policies and the cost of such policies is affected by many factors.

Housing: Floods

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what proportion of homeowners at risk of flooding have flood insurance.

John Healey: We do not hold this information. However, the Association of British Insurers has estimated that 93 per cent. of all homeowners have home buildings insurance in place and that 75 per cent. of all households have home contents insurance in place.

Housing: Insulation

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assistance she plans to provide for people whose homes have solid walls to provide wall insulation; and if she will make a statement.

Joan Ruddock: I have been asked to reply.
	Finding innovative, cost effective and attractive ways of insulating hard to treat homes will be core to both our carbon saving and fuel poverty alleviation ambitions. The Carbon Emissions Reduction Target (CERT), although specifically designed to deliver carbon savings as cost effectively as possible, includes incentives to encourage suppliers to promote more costly measures appropriate for hard to treat homes, such as solid wall insulation. This has resulted in some 40,000 solid wall homes benefiting from insulation in the last three years, with a further 100,000 expected to be treated by 2011.
	Equally, we continue to assess innovative solid wall products for inclusion within Warm Front, the Government's flagship fuel poverty alleviation programme. There will also be a focus on improving the energy efficiency of hard to treat properties, including via solid wall insulation, through the forthcoming Green Neighbourhoods scheme, announced by Hilary Benn in April; and the new £350 million community energy saving obligation on energy suppliers and electricity generators announced by the Prime Minister on 11 September.

Local Government Finance

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans she has to meet local authority leaders to discuss action to protect local authorities from the effects of the insolvency of Icelandic banks; and if she will make a statement.

John Healey: I refer the hon. Member to the written statement made by the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government on 14 October 2008,  Official Report, column 34WS.

Local Government Finance: Students

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what additional support her Department makes available to local authorities with large student populations.

John Healey: The Department has recently published research entitled "Evidence Gathering: Housing in Multiple Occupation and possible planning responses—Final Report". This independent research sets out a series of cross cutting measures that could tackle and stop the complex causes and negative symptoms of concentrations of houses in multiple occupation including those in student neighbourhoods. The measures include new planning mechanisms and the widespread adoption of a number of the best common sense local solutions. We are now considering the report's conclusions and how best to take forward the recommendations.
	In terms of local authority funding, formula grant is largely distributed using the socio-economic and demographic characteristics of the authority, together with the number of band-D equivalent properties (taxbase) within the authority's area. In order to calculate the taxbase, we take into account factors such as the number of student exemptions in the authority. For the 2008-09 to 2010-11 settlement, we implemented changes to better reflect the likely number of student exemptions in an area in this calculation.

Local Government: Bank Services

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government on what date  (a) her Department and  (b) the Audit Commission was first informed of the financial vulnerability of Icelandic banking institutions.

John Healey: Neither my Department nor the Audit Commission monitors the performance or creditworthiness of any investment institution on behalf of local government; that is a matter for the local authorities concerned, as the Department's investment guidance, published in 2004, makes very clear.

Local Government: Bank Services

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the financial exposure of each  (a) local authorities and  (b) fire authorities to the Icelandic banking crisis is, expressed in cash terms.

John Healey: We have been working closely with the Local Government Association (LGA) to assess the position of local authorities that have deposits in Icelandic banks, and to ensure that any authority facing serious short-term difficulty is offered support and expertise from experts drawn from local government itself.
	The LGA has been compiling the information supplied by individual local authorities. It has published on its website a list of authorities that have assets in Icelandic Banks, together with the amount, at
	www.lga.gov.uk.

Local Government: Bank Services

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment she has made of the financial exposure of  (a) local authority private finance initiative schemes and  (b) housing associations to the Icelandic banking crisis.

Sadiq Khan: The positions of contractors and senior lenders under standardised PFI contracts are structured so that, if difficulties occur, changes can be made to the parties, within defined limits. No central assessment of particular funders has been carried out. However, if a local authority were to approach this Department with concerns about a project we sponsor, we would provide advice and support as appropriate.
	There are around 2,000 housing associations in England—many of which are organisations of significant financial size who will, as a matter of course, keep monies on deposit. We are currently working to establish the extent to which associations are exposed and will continue to monitor the position closely. Housing Associations have a statutory duty to inform their regulator the Housing Corporation if they face any significant difficulties.

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Air Pollution

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of air quality in the UK's most polluted areas in each of the last eight years.

Huw Irranca-Davies: I have been asked to reply.
	Since 1997, local authorities have had a statutory duty to review current, and likely future, air quality within their area against national objectives for seven air pollutants. Where any pollutants are exceeding, or are likely to exceed, an air quality objective, the local authority must declare an air quality management area, and prepare and implement an action plan of measures to work towards meeting the relevant objectives. About 200 local authorities across the UK have declared air quality management areas, primarily for nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and particulate matter (PM10).
	DEFRA also undertakes its own air quality monitoring across a number of national networks. Information on these, as well as information on local authorities with air quality management areas and an annual report on DEFRA's air quality monitoring activities, is available in the Air Quality Archive at:
	www.airquality.co.uk.

Carbon Emissions: Local Authorities

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change on what basis the initial allocation to local authorities will be made under the carbon reduction commitment; and what mechanisms will be put in place to reward local authorities which had reduced their energy consumption prior to the introduction of the scheme.

Joan Ruddock: holding answer 8 October 2008
	The Government will not set allocations for individual organisations participating in the carbon reduction commitment. Instead the Government will set a cap for the total number of allowances available for all participants. Organisations will be required to surrender sufficient allowances to cover their annual emissions and may purchase these through an annual sale or auction, or on the secondary market. Organisations will therefore decide on the basis of their emissions reduction strategy how many allowances they need to buy. There will be a three year introductory phase where participants will be able to purchase unrestricted quantities of allowances at a set price. After the introductory phase a cap will be set on the number of allowances available and the market will determine the price of allowances. The sale or auction revenues will be recycled to organisations according to their position in the carbon reduction commitment league table.
	Early action to reduce their energy consumption will be recognised in determining an organisation's position in league table. The two actions that are recognised by the league table are the voluntary installation of automatic metering and accreditation with the Carbon Trust Standard.

INNOVATION, UNIVERSITIES AND SKILLS

Higher Education: Admissions

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many university  (a) applicants and  (b) successful applicants there were to study (i) medicine, (ii) engineering, (iii) physics, (iv) chemistry, (v) veterinary medicine, (vi) accountancy, (vii) law, (viii) dentistry and (ix) economics courses, broken down by (A) sex and (B) socio-economic class in each year since 1992.

David Lammy: The available information covers the years between 2002 and 2007 and is contained in tables, copies of which have been placed in Libraries. The National Statistics Socio-Economic Classification (NS-SEC) was introduced in 2002 and replaced social class. The two classifications are not directly comparable, therefore figures for years earlier than 2002 have not been provided. Comparable data for 2008 will not be available until January 2009.

HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

Catering

Frank Field: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission pursuant to the Answer of 13 October 2008,  Official Report, column 854W, on catering, how much  (a) Brakes Vegetable Suet and  (b) Trenwax is used by the catering service each week.

Nick Harvey: The House of Commons catering service does not record usage of foodstuffs or other commodities on a weekly basis. However, over the six months from April to September 2008, the Department purchased a total of  (a) 252 kg of Brakes Vegetable Suet and  (b) 50 lt of Trenwax.

CHILDREN, SCHOOLS AND FAMILIES

Adoption: China

Gary Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what progress has been made in the last six months in reaching agreement with the Chinese authorities about a protocol to enable British citizens to adopt Chinese children.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The China Center of Adoption Affairs (CCAA) has taken the position that adoptions under Chinese domestic law by British citizens resident in China cannot proceed without a guarantee of automatic conferral of British citizenship on the child.
	Although UK adoption law has provisions that recognise adoptions effected in China, British nationality legislation provides that a child will not be a British citizen if the adoption is not made under the 1993 "Convention on Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption", or the adoptive parents were not habitually resident in-the United Kingdom at the time the adoption was certified under the convention. Children in such cases can apply for registration as a British citizen at the Home Secretary's discretion under section 3(1) of the British Nationality Act 1981.
	In light of the position taken by the CCAA, the Home Office has considered whether it would be possible to give an indication to the Chinese authorities of the likely outcome of an application for citizenship by child adopted in China. The Home Office concluded that this is not possible because the Home Secretary is unable to fetter her discretion by undertaking to grant citizenship in advance of receiving an application.
	Citizenship is a matter for the Home Office. However, officials from the Department for Children, Schools and Families are working with Home Office colleagues and Foreign and Commonwealth Office representatives in Beijing, to try and establish with the CCAA a mutually acceptable way forward, through the provision of text for a certificate which may be used in such adoption applications.

Children: Internet

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  when he expects the UK Council for Child Internet Safety to develop advice on child internet safety accessible to parents and children via the DirectGov information network, as recommended in the Byron Review;
	(2)  what plans he has to develop a public information and awareness campaign on child internet safety;
	(3)  by what date he expects the UK Council for Child Internet Safety to have agreed a kitemarking system for parental control computer software;
	(4)  what progress has been made in appointing an advisory group to the UK Council for Child Internet Safety; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The June 2008 Byron Review Action Plan commits the Government to working with Council partners to develop an authoritative 'one stop shop' website on child internet safety by spring 2009. Initial development has already begun. The 'one stop shop' must be a trusted and central portal for high quality internet safety information, with signposts to the wide range of support and services provided by Council members. This will be developed in close consultation with the Council.
	The June 2008 Byron Review Action Plan commits the Government to:
	include e-safety in its £9 million child safety awareness campaign over the next three years;
	ensure that Parent Know How funded help lines are able to signpost parents concerned about e-safety to sources of further information; and
	work with CEOP and other Council members to launch an e-safety week in 2009.
	The Government will work with Council members to ensure that this activity is linked with campaigns that are already planned or under way, by Government and stakeholders.
	The Home Office and Ofcom have been working with the British Standards Institute (BSI) to develop a Publicly Available Specification (PAS) for assessing the quality of filtering software for computers. This has already been delivered, and discussions are under way with major industry players about the time scale for submitting software for testing.
	There are no plans to establish an advisory group to the UK Council for Child Internet Safety. As recommended in Dr. Byron's report, on 29 September the Government announced the appointment of senior representatives from across industry, the third sector, law enforcement and the devolved administrations to the UK Council's Executive Board.
	The Board will play a crucial role in the governance and strategic direction of all Council activity. It will provide expert guidance, inject momentum into the work of the Council and provide the necessary level of challenge and scrutiny to the working groups. The Board will be the key driving force behind the development and implementation of the Child Internet Safety Strategy in spring 2009.
	Further information on Board membership can be found at:
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/pns/DisplayPN.cgi?pn_id=2008_0215

Children: Internet

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  how much the Government spent on child internet safety campaigns in each of the last three years; and how much he expects to be spent in 2008-09;
	(2)  what the cost of establishing the UK Council for Child Internet Safety has been; how much he expects it to cost in 2008-09; and how much of the funding will come from  (a) industry,  (b) his Department,  (c) the Home Office and  (d) the Department for Culture, Media and Sport;
	(3)  how many full-time equivalent employees work in the secretariat of the UK Council for Child Internet Safety; and from which Government departments secretariat staff are drawn;
	(4)  if he will make it his policy to place in the Library copies of the minutes from each of the meetings held by the UK Council for Child Internet Safety.

Jim Knight: It is not possible to provide an accurate breakdown for each of the last three years as the majority of Government spending is provided as part of wider funding to schools for the provision of technology. This has been supported by comprehensive guidance to all schools on the importance of internet safety.
	Specific initiatives to raise public awareness of internet safety include developing a dedicated training module for UK Online Centres and an investment of £1 million in the Know It All range of CDs for parents to promote internet safety in the home. The Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP) have spent £454,000 from 2006-08 on its ThinkUKnow internet safety education programme.
	Government have dedicated £9 million over 2008-11 to a safety awareness campaign for children that includes internet safety.
	There are various costs involved in establishing the UK Council, including launch costs and hosting the first meeting of the Executive Board. To date the Government have spent approximately £25,000 on these activities. This does not include the cost of officials working within the secretariat.
	Moving forward, delivery of Dr. Byron's recommendations will largely rely on building digital safety into planned activities and services that are already funded, such as £9 million on a safety awareness campaign for children that will include internet safety. We recognise that there may be additional costs associated with delivering some of Dr. Byron's recommendations, and we will consider how these can be funded as they are identified.
	The Government are in the process of establishing the "properly resourced" secretariat recommended by Dr. Byron to support the work of the council. There are currently three full-time equivalent officials in place with plans to expand to five officials shortly. We are also in discussions with partner agencies on additional part time secondments to support the council and welcome their support.
	The level of staffing will be reviewed in the coming months as the work of the council is further defined.
	The Government want to be open about the work of the council and there are a number of ways to disseminate information about its work. We will consult with council members and consider the best way for everyone, including parents, to be kept informed about progress on improving online safety for children.

Departmental Information

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what types of data have been sold by his Department under the Re-use of Public Sector Information Regulations in the last 12 months.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Core information produced by the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) can be re-used free of charge under the terms of the PSI Click-Use Licence which is administered by the Office of Public Sector Information (OPSI) in accordance with the Re-Use of Public Sector Information Regulations. Core information produced by DCSF can also be re-used under the terms of the Value Added Licence which is also administered by OPSI. Re-use of the information under the terms of the Value Added Licence may incur a charge based on the type and amount of information. During the financial year 2007-08 the following categories of information were made available for re-use by DCSF and incurred a charge: some publications relating to: Children and Their Primary Schools; Identification, Referral and Tracking Software, and Models of Adult Learning; some photographs; and certain research reports.

Departmental Marketing

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what advertising campaigns his Department has run since June 2004; and what the  (a) date and  (b) cost was of each of these.

Edward Balls: Promotional campaigns, including those using advertising, are funded from the Department's central Advertising and Publicity Budget and from individual programme budgets held by policy directorates.
	Advertising is part of a full integrated promotional campaign. The question refers specifically to advertising and we have been able to separate the Department's spend on advertising, as this is centrally placed through the Central Office of Information. The cost of recruitment advertising for the Department has not been included as it is not possible to establish a definitive figure, except at disproportionate expense. The Department's advertising spend and that of its predecessor (DFES) since 2004 is set out as follows, with a breakdown of individual campaigns. All figures exclude VAT.
	
		
			  DFES advertising billing 2004/05 
			  Campaign title  Media total  (£) 
			 EMA 2004/05 3,853,254 
			 Sure Start Month 2004/05 127,002 
			 Adult Basic Skills Gremlins 2004/05 4,664,833 
			 Teenage Pregnancy (DFES) 2004/05 980,127 
			 Student Finance 2004/05 886,727 
			 Fast Track Teaching 2004/05 69,342 
			 Foundation Degrees 2004/05 483,463 
			 DFES Childcare 2004/05 281,269 
			 Need to Know 2004/05 275,116 
			 DFES Parents Centre 2004/05 172,284 
			 DFES total 11,793,417 
		
	
	
		
			  DFES advertising billing 2005/06 
			  Campaign title  Media total  (£) 
			 DFES Sure Start 2005/06 2,527 
			 EMA 2005/06 1,261,310 
			 Teenage Pregnancy 2005/06 1,298,991 
			 Childcare Recruitment 05/06 590,758 
			 DFES Adult Basic Skills—Gremlins 2005/06 1,514,280 
			 DFES Adult Basic Skills—Gremlins Miscellaneous 2005/06 125,687 
			 Student Finance 2005/06 2,130,459 
			 DFES Parents Centre 2005/06 142,771 
			 ECM Press Advertising 2005/06 1,984 
			 Foundation Degrees 2005/06 634,353 
			 Fast Track Teaching 2005/06 17,806 
			 DFES Parenting Franchise (Direct Gov Launch) 2005/06 439,878 
			 DFES Education and Learning—Launch Campaign 2005/06 85,479 
			 Need to Know 2005/06 53,971 
			 DFES total 8,300,254 
		
	
	
		
			  DFES advertising billing 2006/07 
			  Campaign title  Media total  (£) 
			 Student Finance 2006/07 2,476,295 
			 Adult Basic Skills 06/07 1,805,199 
			 Teenage Pregnancy 2006/07 1,533,980 
			 Childcare Recruitment 2006/07 404,664 
			 Children and Young People's Workforce Insert 2006/07 45,123 
			 Drugs—Frank 2006/07 (Home Office project also) 245,629 
			 Total 6,510,890 
		
	
	
		
			  DCSF advertising billing 2007/08 
			  Campaign title  Media total  (£) 
			 Childcare 2007/08 134,943 
			 City Challenge 2007/08 52,707 
			 DCSF Sponsored Parenting Phase 1 2007/08 24,568 
			 STEM 2007/08 285,075 
			 MFL 2007/08 87,209 
			 School Food Trust 2Q07/08 377,419 
			 Frank 2007/08 (DCSF only) 632,533 
			 Teenage Pregnancy 2007/08 1,499,163 
			 Skills Pledge June 2007 34,781 
			 Diplomas 2007/08 1,459,491 
			 Total 4,587,889 
		
	
	
		
			  DCSF advertising billing 2008/09 (costs invoiced to date) 
			  Campaign title  Media total( 1)  (£) 
			 Diplomas 2008/09 867,615 
			 Who Do We Think We Are 2008/09 2,433 
			 National Year of Reading 2008/09 108,984 
			 Teenage Pregnancy 2008/09 291,616 
			 DCSF—MFL 2008/09 854,408 
			 DCSF Summer Holidays Affordable Childcare 2008/09 202,543 
			 DCSF Media Only Campaigns 2008/09 19,973 
			 Total 2,347,572 
			 (1) 2008/09 figures refer to costs invoiced to date and not actual DCSF spend.

Departmental Public Participation

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many citizens' juries his Department has held since 1 July 2007; what the cost was of each; what issues were discussed at each event; and how many  (a) Ministers and  (b) members of the public attended each event.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The Department for Children Schools and Families has conducted one citizens' jury and 11 related deliberative debates since 1 July 2007 to ensure that the views of parents and young people were reflected in the development and implementation of the Children's Plan.
	The Department organised a citizens' jury at Bristol Brunei Academy on 6 September 2007 at a cost of £57,047 including VAT. 38 people participated, including children, young people and teachers from the academy; and parents and local practitioners working with children. The event focused on education and children services and was attended by two Ministers.
	The Department followed this citizens' jury with three sets of deliberative debates with members of the public and education professionals.
	The first set of deliberative debates was held on 29 September 2007, with four events running simultaneously in London, Leeds, Portsmouth and Birmingham. These events formed part of the consultative process for the Children's Plan. The total cost of the events was £467,704 including VAT. Around 400 young people, parents, teachers and those working with children and young people were involved. A Minister was present at each of the events.
	The second set was held on 8 March 2008, with four events again running in London, Leeds, Portsmouth and Birmingham. The events focused on policy areas in the Children's Plan. The events cost £296,026 including VAT. Around 240 people attended, including parents, young people and educational professionals. A Minister was present at each of the events.
	The last set took place on 13 September 2008 at a cost of £551,013. The events were held in London, Leeds and Birmingham and were attended by around 300 people including parents, local practitioners and representatives of stakeholder organisations. The themes discussed were Parents as Partners in Learning; the Childcare Strategy and Parental Complaints. Five Ministers attended the events.

Departmental Programmes

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families if he will list the programmes aggregated as Other Miscellaneous programmes in each section of table 8.3, pages 88 to 89, of his Department's 2008 annual report.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: holding answer 6 October 2008
	 The following list shows the "Other Miscellaneous programmes" included in table 8.3 of the 2008 departmental annual report.
	 List of Other Miscellaneous programmes
	 Schools
	Schools Capital Programme Team: Revenue Costs of Capital/Religious Education Inspections
	Assisted Places Scheme
	Music and Dance Capital
	General Teaching Council Teacher Training
	Medical Fees and Services
	Education Business Links/Study Support Play
	Miscellaneous Schools Capital
	Invest to Save Budget (Resource)Creative Environmental Networks Programme Resource
	Premature Retirement Compensation
	Threshold (School Funding Division)
	Teacher Development Agency
	National School for School Leadership
	Partnership for Schools
	Activity Adventure Licensing Authority
	Parenting Support Commissioners Toolkit

Grammar Schools: Admissions

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what estimate he has made of the changes in grammar school admission numbers consequent upon the Building Schools for the Future programme in  (a) Gravesham constituency and  (b) nationally in the next three years; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: Each local authority assesses its pupil capacity just before entering the Building Schools for the Future programme. An estimated national figure for the overall programme is not available as local authorities are at different entry stages.
	In Gravesham, there will be a reduction of around 60 pupils in each of the two grammar schools under the programme.

National Curriculum Tests

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the evidential basis is for his Department's statement that higher national key stage test results are not a result of teaching to the test, as stated on page 3 of the Government response to the Third Report of the Children, Schools and Families Committee, HC 1003; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: Standards in our schools are rising, and we do not accept that this is the result of teaching to the test. Results have improved significantly since 1997 for 11 and 14-year-olds, and those results are in turn reflected in higher GCSE results.
	The public can have complete faith in the rigour of our testing and examination system which is overseen independently and impartially by the new regulator, Ofqual. School performance is inspected by the independent Ofsted, school examinations set by the independent Qualifications and Curriculum Authority and educational statistics produced and overseen by the Office for National Statistics, now given even greater independence by this Government.
	We are gathering evidence about teaching to the test, and exploring whether excessive time is spent on test preparation. The expert group that my hon. Friend the Secretary of State has brought together to advise on the changes to assessment announced on 14 October will also be looking at the advice to be provided to schools to ensure that preparation for national curriculum tests at Key Stage 2 is proportionate, educationally appropriate, and that the delivery of a broad and balanced curriculum is not inhibited.

Pupils: Languages

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many  (a) primary and  (b) secondary schools there are in which 10 or more different languages are spoken by pupils as their first language.

Jim Knight: The information could be provided only at disproportionate costs.

School Meals

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what steps the Department is taking to ensure the provision of high quality hot meals in schools.

Jim Knight: The Department for Children, Schools and Families and the School Food Trust have a wide programme to ensure the provision of high quality hot meals in schools. New food-based nutritional standards were introduced in September 2006 for school lunches and from September 2007 for other school food. Nutrient-based standards were introduced for school lunches in September 2008 for primary schools and from September 2009 for secondary and special schools.
	We are investing over £650 million between 2005 and 2011 to help improve school food and keep school lunch prices down. This includes £220 million over the three years 2005-06 to 2007-08 to assist authorities and schools in improving school lunches and other school food; £240 million between 2008 and 2011 to support the costs of school lunches; £150 million capital funding to build and refurbish kitchen and dining facilities; and funding to establish FEAST centres to train catering staff. We are also providing an extra £6 million over the next three years for the School Food Trust to promote healthy food to young people and raise take-up.

Schools: Internet

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  what percentage of  (a) primary and  (b) secondary schools use accredited filtering services on internet software;
	(2)  what percentage of  (a) primary and  (b) secondary schools have acceptable use policies for ICT; and how often schools are advised by his Department to review these guidelines;
	(3)  what  (a) training and  (b) information on e-safety is provided to new teachers.

Jim Knight: Schools have devolved responsibility and funding in this area supported by guidance from the British Educational Communications and Technology Agency (Becta). Schools recognise the importance of providing an accredited service and are well aware of their duty of care to both their staff and pupils.
	Most schools choose to have their connectivity provided through either their local authority or a Regional Broadband Consortia (RBC). 56 per cent. of local authorities have access to an accredited service provider and 50 per cent. of RBCs are accredited through Becta's accreditation scheme.
	The Government, through Becta, encourage all schools should use an accredited service or software product to ensure the safety of children online.
	80 per cent. of primary schools and 90 per cent. of secondary schools have an acceptable use policy (AUP) for pupils that provide guidelines on how to use ICT equipment and the internet. Schools are encouraged to have written ICT strategies and review these on an annual basis.
	Updated guidance to support schools in this area is published regularly by the British Educational Communications and Technology Agency (Becta).
	New teachers entering the profession have to pass the ICT skills test and meet the professional standards for new teachers. One of the key standards in this area is that teachers must
	"be aware of the current legal requirements, national policies and guidance on the safeguarding and promotion of the well-being of children and young people".
	The Training and Development Agency for Schools (TDA) supports the teacher training organisations with advice and guidance on this standard which makes specific reference to the Byron review.
	In addition to their published guidance TDA has, in partnership with Becta and Microsoft, funded the production of resources for KS3 on e-safety for schools. The materials were originally targeted at new teachers—they have been sent to every teacher training organisation—but have since been adapted for use by any adult working with children in schools. Similar resources for KS2 are being developed.
	These resources are in addition to materials already produced by Childnet, Becta, CEOP and other agencies.
	Following the recommendation in the Byron review, consideration is also being given to including e-safety questions within the ICT skills test. The current format of the test is not an ideal vehicle for testing an understanding of e-safety issues so adaptations will have to be made and tested.

Teachers: Pay

Frank Dobson: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families whether academies may pay teachers more than analogous salaries paid by neighbouring community schools.

Jim Knight: holding answer 14 October 2008
	Academy funding agreements allow for their governing bodies to set their own pay and conditions for staff rather than following national pay and conditions.

DUCHY OF LANCASTER

Death: Asbestos

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many people died from an asbestos-related condition in  (a) Jarrow constituency,  (b) South Tyneside,  (c) the North East and  (d) England in each year since 1997.

Jonathan R Shaw: I have been asked to reply.
	There are no data available at the constituency level.
	 Deaths from mesothelioma, 1997-2005
	The number of deaths from mesothelioma for South Tyneside, the North East and for England is given in the following table.
	
		
			   South Tyneside  North East  England 
			 1997 15 126 1,181 
			 1998 12 100 1,334 
			 1999 8 119 1,406 
			 2000 15 123 1,425 
			 2001 18 154 1,630 
			 2002 9 127 1,622 
			 2003 8 112 1,642 
			 2004(1) 15 134 1,731 
			 2005(1) 10 159 1,787 
			 (1) Provisional  Source: Health and Safety Executive British Mesothelioma Register 
		
	
	 Deaths from lung cancer due to asbestos
	Lung cancer deaths caused by asbestos are clinically indistinguishable from those caused by other agents such as tobacco smoke. It is estimated that about the same number of lung cancer deaths due to asbestos occur each year as mesothelioma deaths.
	 Deaths with asbestosis specified as underlying cause, 1997-2005( 1)
	The number of deaths where asbestosis was specified as the underlying cause of death in South Tyneside, the North East, and the United Kingdom each year from 1997 is given in the following table.
	
		
			   South Tyneside  North East  England 
			 1997 3 10 55 
			 1998 0 8 49 
			 1999 0 10 55 
			 2000 0 13 57 
			 2001 1 14 68 
			 2002 2 20 94 
			 2003 5 19 96 
			 2004(2) 3 19 83 
			 2005(2) 0 15 107 
			 (1) Excluding the small number of cases which also mention mesothelioma (2) Provisional  Source: Health and Safety Executive British Asbestosis Register

Death: Mesothelioma

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many people died from mesothelioma in  (a) Jarrow constituency,  (b) South Tyneside,  (c) the North East and  (d) England in each year since 1997.

Jonathan R Shaw: I have been asked to reply.
	There are no mesothelioma data at the constituency level.
	The following table shows the number of mesothelioma deaths for South Tyneside, the North East and for England:
	
		
			   South Tyneside  North East  England 
			 1997 15 126 1,181 
			 1998 12 100 1,334 
			 1999 8 119 1,406 
			 2000 15 123 1,425 
			 2001 18 154 1,630 
			 2002 9 127 1,622 
			 2003 8 112 1,642 
			 2004(1) 15 134 1,731 
			 2005(1) 10 159 1,787 
			 (1) Provisional  Source: Health and Safety Executive British Mesothelioma Register

Immigration: Employment

James Clappison: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what estimate he has made of the number of inward migrants to the UK intending to stay for 12 months or more who cited work-related purposes as the main reason for migration in  (a) each year for which figures are available and  (b) each quarter since 2004.

Kevin Brennan: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated October 2008:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to respond to your question concerning what estimate has been made of the number of inward migrants to the UK intending to stay for 12 months or more who cited work-related purposes as the main reason for migration in each year for which figures are available and for each quarter since 2004. (227937)
	Table 1, attached, gives an estimate of international immigration for work-related reasons between 1977 and 2006. For all years apart from 1995, these estimates include migrants with a definite job to go to and those who are looking for work. Table 2 provides quarterly estimates since 2004.
	Both tables are based solely on data from the International Passenger Survey.
	
		
			  Table 1: Migration for work related reasons—Time series 1977-2006 International Migration, estimates from the International Passenger Survey inflow — United Kingdom 
			   Estimate (thousand) 
			 1977 31 
			 1978 36 
			 1979 42 
			 1980 44 
			 1981 38 
			 1982 32 
			 1983 34 
			 1984 36 
			 1985 48 
			 1986 45 
			 1987 45 
			 1988 53 
			 1989 51 
			 1990 70 
			 1991 54 
			 1992 58 
			 1993 66 
			 1994 94 
			 1995 50 
			 1996 105 
			 1997 99 
			 1998 135 
			 1999 151 
			 2000 158 
			 2001 165 
			 2002 163 
			 2003 165 
			 2004 215 
			 2005 227 
			 2006 214 
			  Note:  Work related reasons includes migrants with a "Definite job" and those "Looking for Work". For 1995 only, estimates of those "Looking for work" were included in "Other reasons for migration". 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Migration for work related reasons—Time series 2004-07 International Migration, estimates from the International Passenger Survey inflow—United Kingdom 
			   Quarter  Estimate (thousand) 
			 2004 Q1 36 
			  Q2 53 
			  Q3 79 
			  Q4 46 
			
			 2005 Q1 50 
			  Q2 53 
			  Q3 69 
			  Q4 54 
			
			 2006 Q1 45 
			  Q2 55 
			  Q3 74 
			  Q4 40 
			
			 2007 Q1 55 
			  Q2 55 
			  Note: The figures for 2007 are provisional and may change slightly when data for the full 2007 calendar year are published.

Unemployment: Cumbria

Tim Farron: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many people living in  (a) Westmorland and Lonsdale and  (b) Cumbria were unemployed in each of the last 12 months.

Kevin Brennan: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated October 2008:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking how many people living in (a) Westmorland and Lonsdale and (b) Cumbria were unemployed in each of the last 12 months. (227841)
	The Office for National Statistics compiles unemployment statistics for local areas using the Annual Population Survey (APS) following International Labour Organisation (ILO) definitions.
	The APS estimates for Westmorland and Lonsdale and Cumbria are only available for rolling 4 quarter periods. The latest available estimates cover the 12 months ending September 2007 and December 2007 and are provided in Table 1.
	Table 2 gives the number of persons claiming Jobseeker's Allowance resident in Westmorland and Lonsdale and Cumbria for each of the last twelve months.
	These figures along with a wide range of other labour market data for parliamentary constituencies and local authorities are also published on the Office for National Statistics' Nomis® website:
	www.nomisweb.co.uk.
	
		
			  Table 1: Number of persons unemployed( 1)  resident in Westmorland and Lonsdale and Cumbria 
			  Thousand 
			  12 months ending  Westmorland and Lonsdale  Cumbria 
			 September 2007 2 11 
			 December 2007(2) ****2 ****9 
			 (1) Levels of unemployment are provided for persons aged 16 and over. The figures presented are weighted to population estimates published in 2007 (2) Coefficients of Variation have been calculated for the latest period as an indication of the quality of the estimates. See following Guide to Quality.  Guide to Quality: The Coefficient of Variation (CV) indicates the quality of an estimate, the smaller the CV value the higher the quality. The true value is likely to lie within +/- twice the CV—for example, for an estimate of 200 with a CV of 5 per cent. we would expect the population total to be within the range 180-220.  Key Coefficient of Variation (CV) (%) Statistical Robustness * 0 = CV< 5 Estimates are considered precise ** 5 = CV < 10 Estimates are considered reasonably precise *** 10 = CV < 20 Estimates are considered acceptable **** CV 20 Estimates are considered too unreliable for practical purposes  Source: Annual Population Survey 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Number of persons claiming jobseeker's allowance resident in Westmorland and Lonsdale and Cumbria 
			   Westmorland and Lonsdale  Cumbria 
			 October 2007 251 4,629 
			 November 2007 245 4,586 
			 December 2007 236 4,585 
			 January 2007 261 5,009 
			 February 2007 296 5,115 
			 March 2007 294 5,006 
			 April 2007 288 4,972 
			 May 2007 263 4,838 
			 June 2007 269 4,788 
			 July 2007 291 4,996 
			 August 2007 302 5,217 
			 September 2007 298 5,286 
			  Source: Job Centre Plus Administrative System

TREASURY

Bank Services

Jonathan Djanogly: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what provisions are in place to guarantee the funds of  (a) individuals and  (b) companies who have received the proceeds from the sale of their homes, or other large transactions, into law firms' client accounts in an insolvent bank;
	(2)  whether individuals will be able to claim the £50,000 deposit guarantee on the funds in their own account and on their deposits in a law firm client account in circumstances where such accounts are held with the same bank;
	(3)  whether the £50,000 bank deposit guarantee cap will apply to clients with funds in law firms' client accounts.

Ian Pearson: The Financial Services Authority (FSA) is responsible for making the rules of the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS), including the rule change which increased the compensation limit for bank deposits to £50,000, and the rules which set out how claims in respect of sums held in client accounts are to be treated. The increased compensation limit applies in relation to all claims in respect of protected deposits. The rules on the treatment of claims in respect of sums held in client accounts are set out in the FSA Handbook which is available on the FSA website and guidance is available on the FSCS website. The FSA consultation paper on the review of FSCS limits issued on 3 October includes a section discussing the issue of temporary high deposit balances.

Financial Services: Regulation

David Gauke: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what role his Department played in discussions leading to the decision of the Financial Services Authority of 18 September 2008 to prohibit short selling in financial institutions.

Ian Pearson: The UK Tripartite authorities, HM Treasury, the Bank of England, and the Financial Services Authority (FSA), have worked, and continue to work, together to take all necessary steps to ensure the stability of the UK financial system. As was the case with previous administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such discussions.
	HM Treasury welcomes the short selling measures that the FSA has taken against the backdrop of the present turbulence in the markets. The FSA operates within a single legislative framework; independent of Government; separate from the conduct of monetary policy by the Bank of England; and accountable to HM Treasury, Parliament, regulated firms and consumers. The Government do not have a general power of direction over the FSA.

Income Tax: Tax Rates and Bands

Eddie McGrady: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many individuals in Northern Ireland pay more income tax than before following the abolition of the 10 pence band as modified by the changes announced on 13 May 2008.

Stephen Timms: The removal of the 10p rate is part of a package of reforms announced in Budget 2007 that also included changes to tax credits, which are awarded based on family income. Due to a small sample size for Northern Ireland it is not possible to produce a reliable estimate of the number of households that pay more net tax as a result of those changes and the subsequent increase in personal allowances announced on 13 May 2008.

National Insurance Fund

Frank Field: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what the  (a) benefit expenditure,  (b) balance,  (c) surplus above one-sixth of annual benefit expenditure and  (d) revenue of the National Insurance Fund was in each year since 1997;
	(2)  how much the Government has borrowed from the National Insurance Fund to pay for non-national insurance-funded programmes in each year since 1997.

Stephen Timms: The information requested is provided in the National Insurance Fund Accounts that are published annually. Copies of the Accounts are available in the Library of the House.
	Any surplus in the National Insurance Fund is held in a short-term investment account run by the Commissioners for the reduction of national debt.

Revenue and Customs: Buildings

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many office buildings owned or leased by HM Revenue and Customs are currently not in use in  (a) England,  (b) the South West,  (c) Cornwall and  (d) each parliamentary constituency in Cornwall.

Stephen Timms: No buildings owned or leased by HM Revenue and Customs in England are not in use.

Social Security Benefits

Charles Hendry: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people applied for  (a) working tax credit and  (b) child tax credit in each month since January 2006.

Stephen Timms: The information is not available in the format requested. Child and working tax credits are claimed on the same form so it is not possible to provide separate figures for working tax credit and child tax credit except at disproportionate cost.

Taxation: Invalid Vehicles

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make an assessment of the implications for UK policy of the recent decision by the Dutch authorities in relation to the tax on mobility scooters for the use of disabled people in response to legal action in that country.

Stephen Timms: The UK must follow European Union classification policy, which currently classifies mobility scooters as
	'vehicles principally designed for the transport of persons'
	and sets an import duty of 10 per cent. for customs purposes. The UK cannot adopt a decision made in isolation by a national Court in another member state.
	The European Commission has been asked to confirm EU policy in the light of a decision by the Dutch authorities. HMRC will continue to work with the British Healthcare Trades Association and others seeking a change in EU classification policy and will be representing the views of UK importers of mobility scooters in future discussions.

Written Questions: Government Responses

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he plans to provide a substantive response to Question 222243, on taxation of mobility scooters, tabled on 21 July 2008.

Stephen Timms: I have today replied to the hon. Member and regret not having been in a position to do so earlier.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Admiralty House

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether Lord Malloch Brown will continue to occupy a ministerial residence in Admiralty House following the recent Cabinet reshuffle and changes to the machinery of Government.

Gillian Merron: I can confirm that Lord Malloch-Brown will continue to occupy a ministerial residence in Admiralty House.

Belarus: State Visits

Robert Goodwill: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether any Ministers or officials plan to meet the Prime Minister of the Republic of Belarus when he visits the UK in November.

Caroline Flint: At the General Affairs and External Relations Council on 13 October, EU Foreign Ministers agreed to suspend for six months the travel ban against a number of Belarusian figures, including President Lukashenko, and the ban on senior-level political contacts.
	We are under no illusions that the situation on democracy and human rights remains poor. Wider sanctions were renewed for a further 12 months, and if respect for democracy and human rights does not improve, or worsens, the EU will reimpose the travel ban.
	The decision was taken because we believe the time is right to re-engage with Belarus, and in recognition of the important step that Belarus has taken in releasing its last remaining political prisoners. Engagement at senior levels will give its leadership the opportunity to hear our message directly. The visit by the Belarusian Prime Minister in November would give us an opportunity to do this, and we are considering appropriate meetings during the course of the visit.

British Council: Performing Arts

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what funding his Department provided to the British Council to sponsor British musical and theatrical artists to perform overseas in each year since 1998.

Caroline Flint: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office provided £190 million grant in aid funding to the British Council in 2007-08. However, it does not hold detailed records on funding for musical and theatrical artists to perform overseas. The British Council currently has three key programme areas: intercultural dialogue, climate change, and supporting the UK's creative and knowledge economy. The British Council's financial systems do not currently hold information at the level of detail to provide this specific breakdown and to obtain it would incur disproportionate cost.

British Nationality: Travel Information

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what procedures are in place to provide advice on security matters to British citizens making arrangements to travel overseas; to which countries such advice relates; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Merron: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office maintain a web site and a call centre specifically tasked to provide travel advice to British Nationals making arrangements to travel, and while travelling overseas. This advice is constantly amended using information from a range of sources, specific to security, such as the Joint Terrorist Analysis Centre, the security and intelligence agencies, open source/medis reporting and our diplomatic missions overseas.
	Travel Advice is available on
	www.fco.gov.uk/en/travellinig-and-living-overseas/travel-advice-by-country
	or via the Travel Advice Call Centre 0845 850 2829 (available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week).

Croatia: Missing Persons

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many British citizens were reported as missing in Croatia in each of the last three years; how many of these have not yet been found; and if he will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: Our consular staff were made aware of four cases of missing British citizens in Croatia over the past three years, one each in 2006 and 2007, and two in 2008. None are still missing.

Diplomatic Service

John Stanley: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs in which UN member states the UK has no resident British Ambassador or resident British High Commissioner; and from which country British diplomatic representation is provided by accreditation in each of those countries. [Official Report, 3 November 2008, Vol. 482, c. 1MC.]

Gillian Merron: There are 54 UN member states in which the UK has no resident British ambassador or resident British high commissioner. They are shown in the following table with details of from where British diplomatic representation is provided by accreditation.
	
		
			  UN member:  Accredited: 
			 American Samoa New Zealand 
			 Andorra Spain 
			 Antigua and Barbuda Barbados 
			 Bahamas Jamaica 
			 Benin Nigeria 
			 Bhutan none 
			 Burkina Faso Ghana 
			 Burundi Rwanda 
			 Cape Verde Senegal 
			 Central African Republic Cameroon 
			 Chad Cameroon 
			 Comoros Mauritius 
			 Congo (Republic of the) Democratic Republic of Congo 
			 Cote d'lvoire Ghana 
			 Djibouti Ethiopia 
			 Dominica Barbados 
			 East Timor Indonesia 
			 El Salvador Guatemala 
			 Equatorial Guinea Nigeria 
			 Gabon Cameroon 
			 Grenada Barbados 
			 Guinea-Bissau Senegal 
			 Haiti Dominican Republic 
			 Honduras Guatemala 
			 Kiribati Fiji 
			 Kyrgyzstan Kazakhstan 
			 Laos Thailand 
			 Lesotho South Africa 
			 Liberia Sierra Leone 
			 Liechtenstein Switzerland 
			 Madagascar Mauritius 
			 Maldives Sri Lanka 
			 Mali Senegal 
			 Marshall Islands Philipines 
			 Mauritania Morocco 
			 Micronesia (Federated States of) Philipines 
			 Monaco France 
			 Nauru Fiji 
			 Nicaragua Costa Rica 
			 Niger Ghana 
			 Palau Philipines 
			 Paraguay Argentina 
			 Saint Kitts and Nevis Barbados 
			 Saint Lucia Barbados 
			 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Barbados 
			 San Marino Italy 
			 Sao Tome and Principe Angola 
			 Somalia Kenya 
			 Suriname Guyana 
			 Swaziland South Africa 
			 Togo Ghana 
			 Tonga Fiji 
			 Tuvalu Fiji 
			 Vanuatu Fiji

Georgia: Peace Negotiations

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps the Government has taken to encourage a peaceful resolution of the dispute between Russia and Georgia.

Caroline Flint: The Government have been in close contact with UN, EU, North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), G7, and Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) partners, and the parties to the conflict, in the search for a peaceful resolution to the dispute between Russia and Georgia.
	On 12 August, the Government supported EU/OSCE efforts which successfully brokered a six-point ceasefire plan between the parties to the conflict. This plan provided the basis for the agreement between Presidents Sarkozy and Medvedev on 8 September of a supplementary set of commitments, and set the context for the decision by EU Foreign Ministers on 15 September to deploy an EU monitoring mission to Georgia by 1 October. The mission deployed by the agreed deadline and is on the ground. The UK has made a significant contribution of 21 personnel and four armoured cars, in addition to earlier immediate humanitarian aid of £2 million.
	The Sarkozy/Medvedev agreement, along with the original six-point plan, constitutes a serious set of commitments to the international community, and lays the basis for a lasting and peaceful resolution of the dispute between Russia and Georgia. Under that agreement, talks on security and stability in South Ossetia and Abkhazia will begin in Geneva on 15 October, under EU chairmanship, with UN and OSCE participation. We are pressing the parties to the conflict to abide by their commitments.

Georgia: South Ossetia

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the security and intelligence services reported to his Department on the possibility of military action by Georgia in South Ossetia before the action began.

Caroline Flint: It is the long standing policy of the Government not to comment on matters relating to the intelligence and security services.

Georgia: South Ossetia

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Georgian government on the effects of its military actions in South Ossetia on civilians in the region.

Caroline Flint: Over the years, the UK, EU and its other allies have warned the Georgian government that any attempt to take over the two separatist regions (Abkhazia and South Ossetia) by force would be counterproductive.
	In all our contacts with the Georgian Government, we have emphasised the serious consequences for innocent civilians caught up in military actions. We have urged the Georgians to agree to the ceasefire and then to implement the peace plan which would enable the international community to deal with the humanitarian situation.
	On 8 August 2008, our ambassador in Tbilisi called on the Georgian Foreign Minister to express the UK Government's deep concerns at the renewed fighting and to call for an immediate ceasefire, not least to allow civilians to escape. He conveyed the Government's regret at the tragic loss of life.
	In his call to the Georgian President on 15 August, my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister expressed particular concern for the thousands of displaced people and pointed out that the Georgian government had a big responsibility to meet humanitarian needs in this crisis.

Georgia: South Ossetia

Daniel Rogerson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what meetings he has had with diplomats and officials from  (a) Georgia,  (b) Russia,  (c) the UN,  (d) the European Union and  (e) NATO on the outbreak of conflict in South Ossetia since it took place; and if he will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: My right hon. Friend Foreign Secretary has had a number of meetings with international leaders concerning the outbreak of conflict in South Ossetia since hostilities began. These include his meeting with North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) Foreign Ministers in Brussels on 19 August. Later the same day, he met the Georgian President in Tbilisi, and again at the UN on 27 September. Also at the UN, he met the Russian Foreign Minister on 25 September. My right hon. Friends the Prime Minister and the Foreign Secretary attended an extraordinary meeting of the European Council on 1 September. The Foreign Secretary also met the Georgian Prime Minister in London on 19 September.
	Alongside the Foreign Secretary's meetings, UK officials and diplomats have been in close contact with UN, EU, NATO, G7, and Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe partners, and the parties to the conflict, in the search for a lasting and peaceful resolution to the dispute between Georgia and Russia. Following my recent appointment as Minister for Europe at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, I look forward to helping to achieve that goal.

Georgia: South Ossetia

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on what date his Department first made a response to the attack by Georgian forces on 7 August on residents of Russian origin in South Ossetia; what the response was; to whom it was made; whether any revision has been made to that response subsequently; and what discussions his Department has had with the government of Georgia on the matter.

Caroline Flint: In a statement published on 8 August 2008, the Government joined international calls for an immediate ceasefire in South Ossetia after Georgia launched a military offensive to regain control of the breakaway province. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office said that it was "monitoring" developments and called for an immediate ceasefire in the fighting in South Ossetia and for a resumption of direct dialogue between all the parties.
	On 8 August, our ambassador in Tbilisi called on the Georgian Foreign Minister, Eka Tkeshelashvili to urge restraint and cooperation with the international peace efforts and convey our support for Georgia's territorial integrity within the internationally recognised borders.
	In a statement on 9 August, my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary said: "The UK Government are deeply concerned by the violence in Georgia. The escalation in fighting is dangerously destabilising and there is also the threat of civilian losses on a large scale. I am today holding high level consultations with European Foreign Ministers and with the US Secretary of State. The UK will be discussing with all our partners how to stop the spread of violence, secure a ceasefire and get talks underway."
	On 15 August, my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister spoke with the Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili urging cooperation and implementation of the peace plan brokered by the EU and the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in .Europe.
	The Government's response to the crisis has remained the same—urging all parties to the conflict to work with the international community towards a sustainable resolution of the conflict based on territorial integrity, rule of law and respect for human rights.
	I refer my hon. Friend to the Prime Ministerial written statement after the Extraordinary European Council on the crisis in Georgia on 1 September 2008 for further details of our response to the crisis,  Official Report, 10 September 2008, columns 127-30WS.

Youth Parliaments

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which overseas youth parliaments his Department has funded in the last five years; and how much his Department has provided for each.

Caroline Flint: Financial information at this level of detail is not held centrally. Therefore to answer this question would incur disproportionate cost, as all our overseas posts and a number of FCO Directorates would need to be consulted.